Hero's Duty: Code Blue
by Miratete
Summary: A new version of "Hero's Duty" is plugged in, leading to mistaken identities, friendship, seduction, battle, and betrayal. Code Blue's deviant and dangerous end boss proves much more than anyone expects of a Cy-Bug, for good or for bad.
1. The Wrong Woman

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 1: The Wrong Woman**

Fix-It Felix, Jr. made his way through Game Central Station, and on seeing his wife, he ran to her. Delightedly he grabbed her around the back of the legs and stuffed his face into the small of her back, a relatively unarmored section of her body compared to the rest in her dressed state. "Mmmm... I've missed you so much! It was a long day in my game."

Sergeant Tamora J. Calhoun froze. "Excuse me?" She turned and looked awkwardly over her shoulder plates at the short man embracing her rather enthusiastically. Her three escorts were staring, taken rather aback, but also finding the moment rather amusing.

His hands clasped together over her stomach. "Oh Tammy. Mmmmmmm..."

She stood for a moment trying to sort out the situation. Her first venture into this Game Central Station and things had turned strange right off the bat.

She reached down, took the man's hands, and unclasped them. "Would you please remove your hands from me, Sir."

The man obliged, looking up at her with a bit of confusion in his expression. And then he grinned rather foolishly. "Oh...I see how it is...We're strangers, meeting for the first time." He winked at her. "You and your games. Well all right then. But...do you really need the boys along?" he said with a nod toward the three soldiers who had accompanied her on their first trip outside of the game.

"Look, I don't know who you are but you seem to have mistaken me for someone else."

"He has mistaken you for someone else," came another voice. All five heads whipped around to see a second Sergeant Tamora J. Calhoun. She stood there appraising the party.

Felix's gaze ping-ponged between the two women. "Jiminy jaminy," he gasped. "Two Tammies?"

"You must be from the new Hero's Duty game. We were wondering if you folks were ever going to come out and introduce yourselves," drawled the new arrival.

"We've only been plugged in for two weeks. You must be from the original. We heard you were here."

Calhoun nodded. "Well welcome to Game Central Station. I presume the Surge Protector explained everything to you?"

"Yep. He did."

Felix was blushing bright red. "Gosh, M'am. I'm really sorry about that. I thought you were Tammy, well I guess you are Tammy, well a different Tammy, not my Tammy, but still the same Tammy..." His confused drivel trailed off in embarrassment.

"Take a look, sweetheart. She's got blue detailing on her armor. Mine's red." Felix did look, and sure enough, the newest Calhoun had blue marks across her armor that glowed slightly. "Oh, I get it...'Hero's Duty: Code Blue.' The name of the new game."

"You catch on quick," smirked Blue Calhoun.

"I apologize for my husband's behavior. I can understand the confusion." She bent down to look to give him a look. "But just don't let it happen again."

Felix hopped to her and kissed her quickly, knowing she had already forgiven him.

"Your husband?" Blue Calhoun gasped. "You married this man? But what about Brad?" She looked horrified at the thought.

"Things change. Some of us move on."

"But Brad...he was the love of your life," she choked. "The love of our life. And you just forgot all about him, just like that?"

Felix retreated to hide behind his wife.

"I haven't forgotten him. I just moved on," Calhoun said defensively.

Blue Calhoun shook her head. "I can't believe it."

"Look. You were plugged in two weeks ago. You might know your game, but there's a lot more to life than what they programmed us to be. C'mon. Let me show you and the men around here a bit."

"All right." nodded the sergeant.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Later that evening Felix and Calhoun were cuddled up together in the bathtub at Felix's apartment, a favorite way they liked to conclude a long hard day. The handyman was scrubbing the soldier's back with a bar of soap in one hand and a washcloth in the other. "She sure seemed pretty clueless, didn't she?" he remarked.

"Aren't we all at first?"

"You...you didn't see me hugging her, did you?"

"Guilty by your own self-admission," Calhoun laughed. And suddenly she turned around and grabbed Felix, flipping him back in one quick movement and pinning him to the back of the bathtub. "But you know I forgive you, right?"

"She was awfully pretty. High definition and all..."

"Want to keep sticking your foot further into your mouth? Or should I stop you here, soldier?"

He giggled nervously. "I lost the soap."

"Don't say anything more." She kissed him, pushing somewhat to slide him down into the water in her arms. Pausing a moment, she grinned and fumbled around trying to find the lost bar of soap with a free hand.

And then he squeaked. "That's not the soap you're grabbing!" he gasped.

"I said don't say anything more," she whispered, kissing him again.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Hero's Duty: Code Blue" continues in Chapter 2: "Meet the Stunt Doubles"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	2. Meet the Stunt Doubles

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 2: Meet the Stunt Doubles**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Calhoun and Felix met Blue Calhoun outside of the two Hero's Duty games once the arcade was closed. They had planned to go to Tapper's for some drinks, and then they were going to head over to Sugar Rush to introduce Blue Calhoun to Vanellope.

"So she's a princess?"

"Yeah, but she calls herself President"

"Really? That's kinda interesting."

"Wait until you meet her. She's a real live wire."

"I like her already," grinned Blue Calhoun.

Walking into Tapper's, a group of five men, very obviously from Hero's Duty: Code Blue were sitting at one of the counters. Calhoun did not recognize them, but they certainly recognized the two sergeants. "Check it out! Twins! Life doesn't get any better than this." The men whistled and made eyes at the two women.

"Ignore them," hissed Blue Calhoun.

The three took a seat at one of the counters; Felix sat across from the two women. "Who are they? They aren't in my game," said a puzzled Calhoun.

Blue Calhoun heaved a weary sigh. "We call them the player stunt doubles..."

Tapper appeared at that moment at the end of the counter. "Felix, Sgt. Calhoun...and Sgt. Calhoun," he greeted them. "Nice to see that you Code Blue people are finally getting over your shyness."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Tonight, Sergeant. Your drinks are on the house," he said happily.

"Which of us sergeants are you talking to?" said Calhoun with a little smirk.

Tapper laughed. "Hmmm...I'd better make it free drinks for both of you." He went to the barrel at the end of the counter and began filling mugs and sliding them down toward the new arrivals.

Blue Calhoun picked hers up, looked at it a moment, and then drank it like the others were doing. "Hey, this is pretty good," she said. "I should have C.P. make some of this."

"C.P.?"

"Oh, one of the characters in Code Blue. I know he's not in your version. He likes mixing drinks for some odd reason. We've all got our quirks I suppose."

"You should have brought him with you tonight," said Felix.

Blue Calhoun looked at Felix with something of an awkward smile and sat down her drink. "Eh...I don't think he's quite ready to leave Code Blue...or should I say, I don't think anyone's ready to see him outside of it."

It was about that time that one of the Code Blue men from the other counter came over. He came up behind Blue Calhoun and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yes?" she said turning on her bar stool to face him.

The man, a tall, muscular redhead with a handsome face and imposing armor grabbed her by the shoulders, pulled her to her feet, and kissed her soundly on the lips. Felix and Calhoun just stared, wondering what was going on in Code Blue, and why she had been so adamant about clinging to Brad while she obviously had something going on with this fellow. The others from his party were cheering him on.

He let her go, grinning confidently, his green eyes alight with love.

Blue Calhoun wound up and slugged him hard, sending him reeling onto the next counter over, which thankfully was unoccupied. His buddies all laughed and hooted this time.

"No fighting! No fighting in here!" shouted Tapper.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Blue Calhoun snarled at the redhead.

The man was straightening himself, one hand rubbing his jaw where she had made contact, but he was still smiling. "Hey, I've got one job to do in game, and I do it well," he said smugly.

"Ugh~!" Her hands clenched into fists. "Well we're not in game, so don't even think about it...any of you!" She pointed at them accusingly and sat down hard on her bar stool again. "Ugh! Idiots!" She grabbed the rootbeer and drank deeply.

"Sooooo...what was that all about?"asked Calhoun, her curiosity piqued.

Blue Calhoun set down her nearly empty mug and ran a hand through her bangs. "Okay, so here's the plot of Code Blue. It starts out pretty much like the original, like yours, except that the player is given a choice of one of those five yahoos over there—sorta like choosing a character to play, except that it's a first person shooter so you don't actually see him. They all have different weapons and fighting techniques so that sets up the shooter module. And then it's pretty much the same thing. Go through this big metal pyramid shooting Cy-Bugs, get to the top, fight the Cy-Bug Prime, wade through a boatload of eggs, and then get your medal."

"Sounds about the same."

"Well except that at the end of the twelfth floor, the Cy-Bug Prime swoops down and grabs me and hauls me off to the top of the pyramid. When the player gets up to the top of the pyramid to fight the Cy-Bug Prime I'm lying there unconscious. And when he's beaten, well, suddenly there's this stupid little scene where the player stunt double that was chosen suddenly runs up, picks me up and kisses me like some doomsday Sleeping Beauty, and I wake up and am back in the game for the final fight."

"Well that sure is sweet," said Felix.

"It's not sweet. It's really lame!" she exclaimed.

"It is really lame," agreed Calhoun.

Blue Calhoun downed the rest of her rootbeer, which Tapper immediately replaced. "Oh, and it gets even lamer." She started to disassemble the left shoulder piece of her armor, removing it, and then peeled back the tight cloth layer that covered her skin.

"Hey, I don't have one of those," said Calhoun, touching the tattoo of a black heart on Blue Calhoun's shoulder. A large white crack jagged its way down the center of it

"We could get you one," offered Felix. "No one would see it but me." He sat there with his head in his hands looking at the twin Tammies, somewhat overwhelmed by the view, his cheeks glowing a warm red.

"You don't want one. My armor has been pulled off at that point and you can see this mark, and when I get kissed, there's this little burst of flame and it turns red and whole again." She made a sarcastic face. "Oh, I'm back in love!"

"Hmmm, that is even worse," Calhoun agreed.

"So that's who those guys are, and that's all they do, and they're completely worthless." She raised her voice and leaned back toward them, aiming the comment in their direction and without any subtlety either.

"We love you too," called back the thin dark-haired man with sunglasses.

"Ugh! Worthless."

"Wait, so there's a Cy-Bug character in Code Blue?" asked Felix.

"Yep. Something else, eh?"

Calhoun quickly drank the rest of her rootbeer. "How do you manage not to shoot him...off-duty?"

"He's bigger than the others, and he's got a blue tint to his shell rather than green. A few odd light blue stripes on him too."

Tapper shoved a rootbeer down the bar counter where it slid into Calhoun's waiting hand. She picked it up and knocked it against Blue Calhoun's mug. "Well, here's to keeping Cy-Bugs in their place."

"Here here."

The three toasted and drank together.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in Chapter 3: "Sugar Rush"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	3. Sugar Rush

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 3: Sugar Rush**

-o-o-o-o-o-

By the time they made it over to Sugar Rush, the twin sergeants were pretty lit on rootbeer and giggles. "Oh wow...this place is disgustingly sweet," commented Blue Calhoun as they made their way down the rainbow bridge into the confectionery kingdom.

"Don't breathe too deeply here or you'll get diabetes quicker than you can say high-fructose corn syrup," Calhoun snorted. "The air is saturated with sugar particles."

The Random Roster Race had already started and the distant sound of the carts filled the air. They wandered over toward the finish line, Calhoun and Blue Calhoun walking arm in arm and Felix following along happily.

"Hey, there's Ralph!" said Felix, noting his nemesis sitting near the finish line, and he bounded ahead.

Wreck-It Ralph sat in a patch of lollipop grass watching the details of the race on the Jumbotron. A couple of lollipop sticks dangled from his mouth. He looked up as Felix came close. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Hey Ralph. You gotta meet our new friend." He turned to look back to see how close the girls were, and the two were coming up not too far behind him.

Ralph blinked, pulled the lollipops from his mouth, and looked at them. "I gotta lay off of these things," he mumbled and tossed them aside. Looking up again, he decided the double-vision was not the result of a sugar-induced delirium. "Two of them?"

"That's the Tammy from Hero's Duty: Code Blue."

"Oh, that new game. How can you tell them apart?"

"Armor. Mine's got red on hers, and Code Blue Tammy's got...well...blue."

"What if they were naked? No wait, I didn't say that. What if...never mind," Ralph fumbled innocently.

Felix laughed and Ralph stood up for introductions as the women arrived. "Sgt. Calhoun, this is Wreck-it Ralph, from my game. Good friend of ours."

"Nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand.

Blue Calhoun took it and shook it. "Nice to meet you too," she said, trying not to look at his monstrously large hands.

"He and Vanellope are like this," said Felix, holding up crossed fingers.

"You two married as well? I thought she was just a kid."

Ralph found himself blushing. "No, not married and yes she is just a kid."

"Just wondering," said Blue Calhoun flatly, glancing over at her double beside her.

Ralph looked up to the screens, and then pointed. "That's her, in that weird looking cart."

"The one in first place?" she asked after watching for a moment.

Ralph beamed. "Yep."

The four sat down amongst the lollipops and watched the race, the two Calhouns snickering and whispering to each other all through. Ralph kept feeling the hair on the back of his neck prickle. As the first three racers came into the final straightaway, the four rose and cheered, watching as Vanellope charged across the finish line several lengths ahead of the two others. At the side of the track she spun her little car, the cookie tires screeching excitedly. Vanellope bounced out and ran over to where she'd seen Ralph at the side of the track. "I won I won I won I won I won.!" she chanted, leaping into Ralph's arms.

The big guy caught her and cuddled her for a moment before setting her on his shoulder. "Nice job, President Prissypants."

"Thanks for coming to watch, Uncle Uglystick."

"A strange sort of closeness," Blue Calhoun remarked.

Vanellope heard the remark and noticed that there were two Sgt. Calhoun's sitting there. "Well hello!" she chirped. "I guess you're from that new Code Blue Hero's Duty game."

"The very same," Blue Calhoun said with a bit of a salute. The pipsqueak seemed to be the smartest of the bunch.

Vanellope glitched off of Ralph's shoulder and greeted the newcomer. "I'm Princess Vanellope von Schweetz, president of the beautiful land of Sugar Rush," said the girl in the mock-posh accent she pulled out on special occasions, accompanying it with a little curtsey.

"Sergeant Tamora J. Calhoun," was the response, along with a proper salute.

"Welcome to the sweetest kingdom in the arcade," and then she gave a big wink. "Feel free to eat the scenery," Vanellope giggled. And then her attention turned back to Ralph. "Did'ja see what I did to Swizz back there? Cut him off as he was trying to get past Minty. He was so busy watching her he missed me sneaking up on him."

"I did, you little trickster, you." The two walked off, reveling in Vanellope's success on the track.

"Well so much for that," said Calhoun.

"You sure they aren't married?"

"Well, as far as we know...no." said Felix, a little flabbergasted that anyone would think they might be.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here. I've had enough candy for tonight," said Calhoun grabbing her husband by the hand and her twin around the arm.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Hero's Duty: Code Blue" continues in Chapter 4: "Best Friends"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	4. Best Friends

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 4: Best Friends**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Over the next few weeks the two Sgt. Calhoun's became close friends and were often hanging out with each other. They went game-hopping together all over the arcade, and soon were known simply as "the Hero Twins." Usually it was just them, daring to face some of the scarier, more brutal games in the arcade—zombie apocalypses, vicious aliens, hideous monsters, evil wizards, brutal killers. They loved the challenges the arcade could throw at them. But sometimes they took Felix along for some lighter fare, and on some nights they dragged Ralph and Vanellope out as well.

On the nights when the women left him behind, Felix would feel a bit left out. But he knew how much his wife was enjoying having a close friend that she could relate to so well. Both shared that no-nonsense approach to life and a love of high end weaponry and the same streak of cynicism. And while he felt alone, when he saw the two of them together he couldn't help but stare at them, his head and heart swimming in all the good feelings.

One night after a few hard hours of game-hopping, the five sat around at _Tapper's_. They watched the game screens while Calhoun and Blue Calhoun avoided the glances and blown kisses coming from the counter at which were seated the _Code Blue_ stunt doubles. The five men had taken quite a liking to _Tapper's_ and went there most nights. "Who are those guys?" asked Ralph finally, a bit confused and a bit annoyed at their behavior.

Blue Calhoun explained it to him.

"Seriously? That's all they do?" he said, his mouth hanging partly open in amazement.

"Yeah, pretty sweet job, isn't it?" said Felix.

"Fix-It!" Calhoun scolded, pinching her husband's ear.

Ralph suddenly got up. "I'm going to go see if they're recruiting." He picked up his rootbeer, and went over to join them.

"Hee hee...that's my Stinkbrain," tittered Vanellope.

"He's not serious is he? He's the one that went Turbo into your game right?" stammered Blue Calhoun. Over the time with her new friends she had learned something about 'the incident' as they all referred to that fateful day. "I don't want him kissing me. Have you smelt his breath?"

"I think he's just teasing us," Vanellope assured Blue Calhoun.

"So all you guys do is wait around, playing cards or dice and then you get to kiss her?" Ralph was asking.

"Yeah! Isn't it great?" said the short scrawny double with nerdy glasses. Pvt. Wilbert's appearance had obviously been something of a joke on the part of the game designers, for he looked rather out of place beside the other four, who were all tall, handsome, and muscular. He was only slightly taller than Felix. "So cool," he sighed, gazing over at the two sergeants.

Blue Calhoun put her head into her hand. "Worthless..." And then she composed herself and took another drink of her rootbeer. "Not like Brad. He was perfect, no matter what he did, he was perfect."

"Yeah..." agreed Calhoun, a bit of wistfulness in her voice. "Brad was perfect, but he's gone now."

Felix groaned inside. There never really was a Brad, but the twins always acted like he had been there at some point, never in defiance of their programming.

Blue Calhoun turned and looked Calhoun in the eyes. "That's what I envy about you," she said, pointing at her double. "You've gotten over it and moved on. You've accepted that he's not coming back and you went and found someone new that makes you happy." She looked at Felix with a quirky bit of a smile on her lips. "He's no Brad, but look at him. He's all sweet and loveable and he takes care of you."

Felix wasn't sure whether to blush with pride or to feel insulted at being talked about like some object.

Blue Calhoun sighed. "I'll never find anyone that will love me like that." She suddenly fell forward into her folded arms and started crying over the long lost and perfect Brad.

"Hey, hey. Easy there," said Calhoun, putting her arm around her. "If that's what you want, there are plenty of guys out there would love a tough-chick like you. Heck...there's a whole table of them right over there." She gestured with her thumb at the stunt doubles with half-seriousness.

Blue Calhoun suddenly sat up straight. "Ack...don't even say that." And then she laughed and sobbed at the same time.

"Maybe it's time we left?" suggested Felix.

Vanellope nodded. The whole scene was making her a bit uncomfortable.

Calhoun pulled her twin to her feet and walked her out of _Tapper's_. "Three rootbeers and you go all to pieces." She looked back at Vanellope, following along quietly with her hands in her pockets. "Let this be a lesson to you, kid."

Ralph waved a goodbye to his friends and stayed behind. The stunt doubles were teaching him some betting game they'd made up based upon the movements of Tapper and the patrons around the bar. Peanuts were the currency of choice. And then Vanellope decided to just head back to _Sugar Rush_ to see who had won the Random Roster Race, which she had decided to ditch in order to go game-hopping with her friends.

They got to the gate of _Hero's Duty: Code Blue_ and onto the train, where Blue Calhoun tried again to compose herself , drying her eyes on the hankie Felix offered her. "I'm sorry," she said. I guess I just got a bit overwhelmed there. Too much rootbeer I guess."

"Hey, don't worry about it," said Calhoun, setting her twin down on one of the jump seats.

The train doors closed and it whisked them from Game Central Station to the far end of the line deep inside _Hero's Duty: Code Blue_. The doors whooshed open and Calhoun, standing with her back to the doors, turned to exit.

A Cy-Bug stood a mere ten feet from the train, huge and leering with four blue eyes focused on Calhoun.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Hero's Duty: Code Blue" continues in Chapter 5: "Another Introduction"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	5. Another Introduction

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 5: Another Introduction**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Yo, listen up. Here's a story  
About a little guy that lives in a blue world  
And all day and all night and everything he sees  
Is just blue like him inside and outside  
Blue his house with a blue little window  
And a blue Corvette  
And everything is blue for him and himself  
And everybody around  
'Cause he ain't got nobody to listen to**

**- Opening lyrics to "Blue (Da Ba De)" by Eiffel 65**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Calhoun shrieked and in a split second her pistol was out and firing. The soldiers and crew about the station all ducked for cover. She emptied a clip into the Cy-Bug, reloading as it leapt and landed atop the train. Still screaming, Calhoun jumped onto the platform, whirled around, and attacked again.

"Tammy! No!" shouted Blue Calhoun jumping off of the train as well.

The Cy-Bug staggered back and fell from the roof of the train onto the opposite platform.

"Stop shooting! Stop shooting!"

"It's a Cy-Bug!" choked Calhoun, nearly foaming at the mouth as her pistol lowered, tracking the monster as it scuttled for the shadows.

"That's C.P.!"

"C.P.?"

"C.P., the Cy-Bug Prime! You know, our bad guy!" she said hastily, pushing Calhoun's arms down to her sides.

"Oh geeze..." Calhoun holstered her pistol shamefully.

"Tammy...you shot a character from _Code Blue_!" gasped Felix.

Blue Calhoun ran through the train and hit the button to open the far door. "C.P.! C.P.? Are you okay?" she called from the other platform.

From the serviceway four blue compound lights rose. "I'm here," came the timid and tinny voice of the Cy-Bug Prime.

"C.P., are you all right?"

He crawled out of the dark passage, oily blue blood dripping like paint from several bullet holes around his eyes and mouth. "I'm still alive."

Blue Calhoun dashed to the mouth of the dark passage where the enormous monster had emerged and grabbed him. "Oh C.P...she got you good," she said embracing him tenderly.

"I thought...I thought you'd warned her about me."

"I did...but you know how we are," she said stroking what might be considered his face.

Calhoun and Felix had come through the train and were watching the scene in shock. The sight of someone holding and comforting a Cy-Bug was far from normal. And then Felix nudged his wife forward. She stepped onto the platform and cautiously approached the two. "C.P...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I...I just..."

He raised a leg and dismissed the sentiment with a wave of the pointed tip. "It's all right. I understand what happened." And then he shuffled forward, raising a clawtip weakly, trails of his neon-blue ichor oozing down his legs onto the platform. "Nice to meet you at last," and then he chuckled a weak, metallic sounding laugh.

"I didn't realize it was you."

"I know. You just saw a Cy-Bug and flipped out," he responded almost nonchalantly.

"Yes...well..."

He chuckled again. "Sarge, send me home. Let's just try this again," he said, his eyes swiveling to Blue Calhoun, who still stood next to him drenched in his blood.

Without a word, Blue Calhoun drew her own pistol, pushed it up underneath his carapace, and quickly fired off four rounds.

Felix winced with each shot in the brutal scene.

C.P. screamed and shuddered, and then reared up on his back two claws, his forward claws and mouthparts pawing desperately through the air. Electricity sparked along the neon blue cerci at the end of his tail. His body was rocked by a series of explosions and a thrashing death scene befitting an end boss.

"See you soon," said Blue Calhoun wistfully as the blood soaking her armored suit disappeared along with C.P.'s lifeless body.

Calhoun applauded slowly.

Felix just stood there in shock, taken aback by the violent scene.

Blue Calhoun tucked away her pistol. "He'll be back soon. He regenerates up in the Pyramid." She swaggered past her guests. "Now let me show you around the station here."

And as announced, it wasn't long before the Cy-Bug Prime returned. C.P. came swooping down on neon blue wings and lighted beside Blue Calhoun. She gave him a little punch on the shell in greeting, and he poked her back with the claw-like point of his foot.

"Tammy, Felix, I present to you my good friend C.P., the Cy-Bug Prime. Sometimes we call him Romeo."

"Nice to meet you," the huge robotic insect said, his voice sounding much stronger and actually cheerful.

"Look, I'm really sorry about that," Calhoun apologized again.

"Hey, stop worrying. We're starting over, remember?"

Felix drew himself up and marched over to C.P., holding out his hand in greeting. "I'm Fix-It Felix, Jr., of the game _Fix-It Felix, Jr._," he said confidently.

"The man with the golden hammer," C.P. said, putting the end of his foot into Felix's hand. And while his face didn't show it, there was something of a smile in his voice.

"I can fix it," Felix said, mocking himself. And then he beckoned Calhoun forward. "And this is my wife Sgt. Tam... well, you know who she is. I'm just married to this one."

C.P. laughed. "Yes. I was surprised when the Sarge here told me." And then he looked at Blue Calhoun beside him and said pointedly. "If she can get married, so can I."

"Nice try, Romeo."

The four completed the excursion about _Code Blue's_ base, and Calhoun and Felix were surprised how casually everyone treated C.P.. He was one of the gang despite being the chief antagonist, but apparently that role didn't carry over into after-hours life. No one seemed to question his being there.

After a while the four stopped and sat on a rampart from which there was a magnificent view of the Pyramid, if you could call the view magnificent. Black clumps of ash floated through the air and fires burned in apocalyptic furnaces about the landscape. Overhead a malevolent moon played peek-a-boo behind swirling haze. The cold moonlight glinted off of the metal struts of the Pyramid while the blue lights from inside the structure glowed ominously. "I see Dante was hired as a decorating consultant here as well," remarked Felix as he looked out over the war-torn landscape.

"Looks like home to me," laughed his wife.

"It is home to me, literally," said C.P.. "I live up there." He pointed one of his front claws off to a point about two-thirds of the way up the Pyramid. "Near those two brighter lights. You'll have to come visit sometime."

"You'll have to come visit us sometime," offered Felix, "Though it might not be a good idea to set foot in _Sugar Rush_. But you can come check out _Fix-It Felix, Jr. _some night."

"I'd like that," he said amiably. "I'd also like to see the original _Hero's Duty_. I'm curious to see how the Cy-Bugs there react to me."

"Oh?"

"Well here, they just sorta make way...a deference kind of thing. But in the original, they might not recognize me since there isn't a Cy-Bug Prime."

"They might tear you apart," said Blue Calhoun. "I'd be rather leery."

"You're always worried about me, dear," he said and lay down on his stomach, resting his head on his front two feet.

"Just being your Mom," she laughed and leaned against him affectionately.

"Maybe we could just take you out to Game Central Station, just to check the reaction out a bit?" suggested Calhoun. "Just to see if the citizenry can handle the presence of a Cy-Bug. After the whole incident with _Sugar Rush_, there were constant fears of them for several months. Some even rumbled that _Hero's Duty_ was too risky a game to be connected to such a populous place."

"I think he'd be just fine. After all, the Beholder comes over from _Dragon Kingdom_ on the other side of the arcade. What could be scarier than that?"asked Felix.

"I suppose we could give it a go...we'll just keep it low key and hopefully everyone's not jumpy about Cy-Bugs like we were for a few months there," said Calhoun.

"I'd like to give it a try," said C.P. in his tinny voice. One of his fine blue cerci filaments curled around and brushed against Blue Calhoun's hand. "And if people can't handle seeing a Cy-Bug out there, I'll understand."

-o-o-o-o-o-

They did take C.P. out into Game Central Station the very next night, and the reaction was quite mixed. Despite the armed guard of soldiers from both _Hero's Duty_ games, some of the citizenry ran in terror. Others stared dumbstruck, and some in awe. Still others threw angry commentary in his direction. But inside _Tapper's_, the host welcomed the huge insect like a friend and happily served him rootbeer, which the monstrous guest found tasty.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Hero's Duty: Code Blue" continues in Chapter 6: "Tour of Duty"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	6. Tour of Duty

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 6: Tour of Duty**

-o-o-o-o-o-

About a week later, as the shout for the arcade being clear was sounded, Calhoun came back to the station where she saw C.P. waiting for her beside the train to Game Central Station. "C.P.! What are you doing here?" she asked, hoping that he'd not seen her hand instinctively move for her pistol. She noted most of the NPC's eying him suspiciously. He had been quite brave to come into _Hero's Duty_ on his own.

"The Sarge insisted I take you over to _Code Blue_ and give you the rest of the tour. There are some areas that I can get you to that she can't."

"Oh?"

"Some of the back areas at the edge of the world, where humans can't really go because of the Cy-Bugs. But I can get you there since, well, since I'm a Cy-Bug." He winked his two left eyes at her.

"Well I was going to meet Felix tonight, but I usually don't head over there for a couple of hours."

"Well perfect!" the robotic insect squeaked. "I can take you there, show you around, and then take you back afterward in time for you to spend the evening with your husband."

"Well all right. If your Calhoun insisted I'm sure I'd like that."

"Excellent! We can walk there, but it would be much faster if we fly."

"Fly?"

"I can carry you, or you can ride on my back. I don't mind either way. I'm always carrying our Sgt. Calhoun as part of the game. And sometimes if she just wants to go somewhere she just climbs aboard. I don't think it's demeaning or anything."

"Well let's just go with that then."

C.P.'s wings sprouted from his back, beautifully bright neon blue wings, and he bowed down before her, two of his six legs twisting to create something of a stepladder onto his back. "Just lie kinda flat and hang on," he instructed. She stepped aboard.

He lifted her into the air and swooped off into the train's tunnel and out into Game Central Station. Buzzing through before the Surge Protector could even appear, they flew into _Hero's Duty: Code Blue _and down the tunnel there, eventually coming out into the station. The people there that noticed them pass through all waved. And C.P. waved back with one of his front legs.

He flew her out through clouds of swarming Cy-Bugs, Calhoun lying low against his shell. But the insects all parted for their king, none getting in his way or even giving him a second glance. Beyond the battle-zone there were hardly any Cy-Bugs, and soon even the few strays were absent. And here there was less ash in the air and the ground seemed less damaged by the ravages of perpetual war.

First he took her to the ruins of a large abandoned space ship, empty on all decks, save for a garden module which had spilled into the surrounding landscape. The plants and bushes had begun to colonize the area, and successfully too. Their luminous blooms had turned the barren area into a wild garden. Then he took her to a particularly rough area of canyons that ran maze-like through sandstone cliffs, their flat bottoms being awash with small streams running through white sand and rusty-red rock. And finally he led her to a place where these canyons all eventually converged and created an impressive waterfall some four stories high. "It's beautiful," Calhoun said, astounded that _Code Blue_ had been given these secret areas so few knew of.

"You like it?"

"Yes. I've never seen anywhere like this before. Not even in another game, let alone my own."

C.P. hummed happily. "There's one more place I should take you. Climb on," he said, bowing down again.

She did so, and C.P. rose and swooped across the landscape again, heading toward the Pyramid in the distance. "The Sarge said I should show you this place. She comes here a lot too."

"What is it?"

C.P. laughed. "My apartment, where I live."

"You live in an apartment?"

"Yeah. I've got an apartment up in the Pyramid. I fixed it up pretty nicely," explained C.P. as he flew over the wastelands that made up the bulk of the world of _Hero's Duty: Code Blue_. Sergeant Calhoun clung tightly to his back, her hands hooked over the front edge of his carapace and her feet braced against the two rear wing-ports.

"I thought that when you said you lived there, that you just sorta roamed the corridors and slept in empty alcoves."

"Oh heavens no. What...me a hobo?" He laughed his delightful tinny laughter.

Pretty nicely was an understatement. As he delicately set Calhoun onto the ledge outside of the place, she noticed right away that there were curtains. Curtains? Who had programmed curtains into a _Hero's Duty_ game? And not just any curtains, but deep red drapes of a semi-sheer fabric that trailed across the floor at the hems.

Walking in, she noticed there was furniture in the large room that made it look like some showroom of luxury. There was a large sofa with seating for a big bug and more normal-sized companions. A bar displaying lots of bottles took up one corner. In a side alcove was a grand bed, generously sized for even a creature of his dimensions. Occupying the middle of the room was a massive table set with white china and glittering silverware, some of it human sized and some of it bug-sized.

"Welcome to my humble little nest," said C.P., tucking away his wings as he walked into the room.

Calhoun whistled. "I guess being the end-boss has its perks. This place puts Niceland to shame. Even Gene's penthouse."

"It is pretty sweet, isn't it?"

"I'll say."

C.P. scuttled over to the bar and pulled out a cocktail shaker and some bottles. "Well make yourself at home. Put your feet up a while." He filled the shaker with ice.

Calhoun looked over at him, a Cy-Bug skillfully making drinks, living in a ritzy apartment high above the game, busy being a garrulous social butterfly. What sick-minded programmer had put him together?

Noticing her watching, C.P. called to her. "Hey, c'mere. Watch this." He grabbed another bottle from the glass shelves behind him and placed it on its side to keep it from rolling off. Calhoun swaggered over and sat on one of the barstools. It was padded, unlike the bare wooden ones at _Tapper's_. C.P. put his claw at the neck of the bottle and gave it a strong enough tap to start it spinning. Then he brought his claw down sharply onto the neck, which flipped it up into the air. The bottle somersaulted upwards, and then on coming down, it dropped right into C.P.'s opposite claw. His two left eyes winked at her.

Calhoun applauded. He'd not even had to move to catch the bottle.

"I'm full of tricks," C.P. grinned. He opened the top of the bottle, added a splash to the cocktail shaker, and put on the top. A few shakes and he poured his neon-blue concoction into two glasses. "Here you are...a little something we call a "Code Blue" around here."

"How original," Calhoun smirked sarcastically taking her glass and sipping it gingerly.

C.P. picked up his glass and scuttled over to the enormous couch and sat down. He picked up a remote control and turned on one of the three video screens. "Want to watch the Random Roster Race? I have a direct feed from the Jumbotrons in _Sugar Rush_. I hooked it up after Sarge came back that night, blitzed on sugar and that rootbeer stuff. She was going on an on about this race and you and Felix and the fun she'd had that night. It was good to see that she'd gotten out. Poor woman gets so wound up sometimes."

Calhoun slipped off the bar stool and followed her host to the couch. Sure enough, there was the _Sugar Rush_ spectacle up on the screen, Vanellope in the lead. She sipped her drink, which admittedly was pretty good, and relaxed on the couch, putting her feet up on the coffee table.

"I've gotten rather hooked to watching this. Those kids are just so cute," said C.P., his mouthparts twitching happily. "I wonder if they'd all come over for a party sometime." And then he looked over at Calhoun, then reached over and in a couple swift moves he had disconnected and removed her calf armor and shoes. "Relax a little," he laughed in his tinny voice.

Calhoun was shocked. "How...!? How did you get those off of me so fast?!"

C.P. laughed again. "Practice. Okay, I know this is going to sound completely wrong, but I can have the Sarge out of her armor in less than a minute."

"Oh really?"

"There's that part in the game where I kidnap her, and then fly her up to the top of the Pyramid. Well then when the hero gets there she's mostly out of her armor. It makes her look much more approachable and vulnerable at that point. You don't think she takes it off herself, do you?"

"I'd not thought about it at all, really." She looked up at him. "Less than a minute? Takes Felix the better part of an hour," she laughed.

"Bring him over sometime. I'll give him some lessons."

"Who said I wanted to get out of it that quick?"

C.P. gave her another wink. "There might be times."

A ruckus from the stands in Sugar Rush pulled their attention away for a moment. The cameras were zooming in on Vanellope, who was no longer in the lead but fighting her way out of waist deep frosting. "Awwww...poor Vanellope," C.P. sighed. "I'm guessing Adorabeezle's going to come in first in that case."

"You really do like this, don't you?"

"I know. I guess you thought I'd be all nasty and mean and kill—eat—reproduce."

"Frankly, yes. You are a Cy-Bug after all."

He drank the rest of his cocktail, then went and fetched the shaker from the bar and refilled his glass and hers.

"Okay, less than a minute. This I've gotta see." Calhoun stood up and walked around to in front of him. "It takes me twenty—fifteen if I strain myself doing it."

"Close your eyes."

Sergeant Calhoun did so, and she heard him move off of the couch.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Go ahead."

There came the feeling of being tugged in twenty different directions at once, the sound of flipping buckles and catches, the sudden bracing weightlessness of losing her armor, and the whirring of a rapidly moving Cy-Bug. And suddenly it all ceased, and she opened her eyes. There, scattered in a pile about her was her heavy hi-tech suit, except for her shoes and calf-armor which still sat on the coffee table. Calhoun now stood in just the skin-tight undersuit she wore beneath it and her socks.

"Ta-da~" C.P. cheered, and then he looked closely at her. "Hmmm...no black broken heart," C.P. commented, poking at her shoulder.

"Yeah, only your Calhoun has one."

"I see..." He looked off through the open window for a moment, and then back at Calhoun. Another loud wave of cheering erupted from the stands on the overhead monitor. "There she goes! She's in the lead," he cheered. "One more stretch and we'll know for sure."

Calhoun sat again on the couch feeling warm from the drink and much more comfortable without her armor on. Wearing it never bothered her. Wearing it all day? Well, it was nice to get out of it now and then.

"If I had a party for them, do you think those kids would come here?" asked C.P.. "What would I serve them though? I'm sure they're sick of cake and cookies and candy," he laughed. Then he began to tidy her armor into a neat arrangement, the pieces laid out carefully.

"You could serve them some of these," she said, raising her glass, nearly empty again.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Hero's Duty: Code Blue" continues in Chapter 7: "Seducing the Sergeant"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	7. Seducing the Sergeant

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 7: Seducing the Sergeant**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Calhoun put her feet up onto the coffee table again, thinking about why would a Cy-Bug have a coffee table, or an apartment for that matter. While she and her men had rather utilitarian barracks near the entryway, this guy was living like a king up here on the Pyramid. Maybe it was just a Code Blue thing. Perhaps her doppelganger and her men also had fabulous apartments to go home to at the end of the day. Living quarters hadn't been included on the tour.

"Hey, sit up and hold still,"C.P. said.

"Hmmm? What?"

She sat up, still watching the race. Vanellope had managed to free her car from the frosting and was back in the race at ninth place, with two other racers behind her but closing fast, having also had a run of bad luck.

"Just hold still." C.P. leaned in close behind her and placed his two front claws against her back, the flat parts against the cloth of her undersuit. At a perfect frequency he vibrated them against the muscles attaching her shoulders to her back."

"Whoa...that actually feels good," Calhoun decided after a moment. "What are you doing?"

"Just putting my claws on you. Sarge loves it." And then he leaned in closely. "And so does Markowski, but you didn't hear that."

She snickered.

"Here try this." He slid the flats of his claws up to her neck.

She moaned slightly at the sensation. "That really feels good. And here I thought Cy-Bugs had nothing to offer."

C.P. chuckled. "Well, most of us don't. I'm special." He topped off Calhoun's drink and put it into her hand again. Then looking up at the monitor his claw tips vibrated a little harder. "Finish line! Finish line!" he squeaked excitedly, his pale blue stripes beginning to glow a bit brighter.

As Adorabeezle crossed it well ahead of the other racers he suddenly leapt up and did a little victory dance around the room, swinging his tail end and twirling his cerci like ribbons. And then noticing that Calhoun was looking at him with a look of confusion on her face he quietly returned to the couch and sat down. "Sorry," he said abashedly, and then laughed at himself. "You're right. I really do enjoy this. And she's my favorite. I like the blue color."

Calhoun leaned back into the sofa again. "Well I suppose I should be going now. Felix will be waiting for me."

"Oh not yet. I'm not done."

"What do you mean not done?"

"Here. Let me show you what I do for the Sarge." Gently he hooked up her legs and pulled them up onto the couch, carefully working her into lying her flat on her stomach. She could feel four clawtips pressed to her, palpitating against her muscles. She moaned again. "That really does feel good," she said, her eyes blurring as she tried to watch the monitor. It was just too easy to relax.

"Markowski's usually drooling at this point," he chuckled. "But again, you didn't hear that."

"I think I just might start drooling. Sometimes Felix rubs my feet, but it's nothing like this."

"You like to have your feet touched?" Suddenly the claw tips were pressed against the soles of her feet.

It felt heavenly. "Oooh...C.P., you are humanity's last hope."

"I'll go get a mop if you melt," he chuckled and pulled her socks off.

She purred. "I just might. Where ever did you learn to do this?"

"Oh, just the Sarge and I messing around up here."

"You two get along pretty well."

"I guess you could say she's my closest friend. I hope you'll forgive me if I call you the wrong name at some point. You really are just like her."

"Well yeah. We are the same character."

His claw tips jumped to the small of her back, and besides the vibration he began to push against her with a little kneading motion. "Yeah, but not the same person. You're different in subtle ways."

"I've been around a bit longer. I've have more time to stray from my code."

"And I like that." His claws spread out along her spine.

"And I like that...mmmmmm." She arched her back and closed her eyes. The haze of three of his Code Blue cocktails had done wonders to ease her concern. Her eyes closed involuntarily and she just lay there indulging in the massage.

C.P. lifted his claws, hooked the two zipper pulls at the back of the undersuit, and opened it up to expose her back, his claws jumping and replacing themselves onto her bared skin. Calhoun didn't even react. "There's something beautiful about human women," he sighed. "I'm always fascinated by you ladies."

"That's an odd statement coming from a non-humanoid, and a robot at that."

"Must be some error in my Code. You know, I keep hoping that maybe someday the Sarge and I can be more than just friends."

"More than friends?"

"Well yeah, you know, like you and Fix-it Felix. But she's all hung up on Brad," he sighed.

"Sure she is. And I was too—still in love with PTSD all the way. Then I met Felix and I thought he was just some little hopping twerp. And suddenly next thing I know, something had happened between us. "

"Exactly! That's what I like about you. You have moved on. You've changed...those subtle ways."

"You know someday something might happen for you too." She could tell he had changed something in what he was doing, for now if felt like there were several fingers on her skin, and the quiet whirring noises he made seemed much closer. She hated to look, knowing that she would not like what she was going to see, so she just closed her eyes tightly and enjoyed the sensations of being touched—touched all over. He had picked her up and was rolling her about in his claws, monstrous metal feet he could wield with the precision of a surgeon and the grace of a dancer.

"But you know, there are some things I do that Sarge really likes...something a little more intimate." She was on her stomach again. The sensation of something soft and feathery worked its way along her back, across her butt, and down her leg. "Something that I won't do for Markowski. But I know that you'd enjoy it too." One of his clawtips slipped between her thighs.

Calhoun's eyes snapped open, her common sense suddenly waking her up from the daze of alcohol and pleasure. In front of her on the couch was her undersuit, completely pulled off. Somehow he had very gradually stripped her out of it without her knowing, leaving her dressed in only her tank top and panties.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Hero's Duty: Code Blue" continues in Chapter 8: "In Trouble"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	8. In Trouble

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 8: In Trouble**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Calhoun bucked and fell off of the couch, landing on the plush rug. "What are you trying to do!?" she spat as she righted herself.

He recoiled from her, his four blue eyes blinking. "Um...trying to be romantic. I thought you were enjoying it. You certainly seemed to be." His long blue cerci rose and curled together into a heart shape, the filaments framing him from behind.

"Well now I'm not! Only Felix touches me there."

"So then why were you letting me put my claws on you in the first place?" he huffed indignantly.

"I thought you were just being casual. I didn't think a Cy-Bug would be trying to seduce me!" hissed Calhoun. She was as angry at herself as she was at him.

C.P. looked off to the side awkwardly. "Yeah...I...I do that." His front claws clicked together in a gesture of embarrassment. "I'm a Cy-Bug. We just have these urges...you know...that third thing...reproduce."

"Urges? I'm a married woman. You can't even control yourself for that?" She jerked her undersuit off of the couch and began to put it back on.

C.P. rubbed the top of his head with one of his clawtips. "Apparently not...and you look just like our Sgt. Calhoun. You know...there's this sorta familiarity and she never complains about it."

"Ugh! I can't believe I let you touch me! And I can't believe that she does either, you damn insect."

"That hurt," pouted C.P..

"Yeah, well you are. A big horny insect."

"Fine...fine," he sighed.

She walked over to her armor, where he had laid it all out neatly on the floor as if ready for a catalog photo-shoot and began the long process of putting it all back on.

C.P. watched her in disappointment for a moment, and then tried to patch things up. "Look, I'm sorry about that. I just misread your signals and thought you wanted something."

"Wanted something? What would I want from you?"

"Sergeant Calhoun, I'm trying to apologize here and make things right. You're a great person and I don't want this to end with us on bad terms." He reached over and handed her the next piece of armor in the dressing sequence.

She jerked it out of his claws and put it on.

"Please, will you accept that I completely misunderstood you?"

Calhoun simply glared at him as she took the next proffered piece of armor.

C.P. let out a little whimpering sound and turned away, heading for the curtained alcove, where he threw himself down onto the bed and sobbed into a huge satin pillow.

"Big pansy," she muttered.

Eventually dressed she looked about for an exit. The door was locked and would not respond to her attempts to open it. Going to the window she had entered from, the Pyramid sloped down steeply from there to the mist-veiled ground far below. Angrily she marched over to the bed and snapped at her host. "Now let me out of here," she demanded.

"No. Not until you apologize," he huffed.

She groaned and then tried to find a bit of humility. "All right. I'm sorry that I apparently led you on. I just didn't think you were that kind of guy."

"And you forgive me for any inappropriateness?"

She sighed again and looked for another helping of humility. Felix was probably wondering where in the heck she was. He'd probably already fallen asleep by now waiting for her. "Yes. I forgive you. Again, I just didn't think you were were that kind of guy."

"Apology accepted."

"Now would you please open the door so I can go home. My husband's waiting for me."

"What's your rush? I think we should just work on patching things up between us."

"I just said that my husband's waiting for me."

"Oh, yes...yes you did."

"Look, just open the door before I blast it open and take your pretty drapes with it.

"I...I can't let you go. Not just yet."

"What?"

Again his front claws clicked together nervously. He scuttled toward the bar and turned on some music. "The night is young. Let's do something fun together now that we've gotten that little misunderstanding out of the way. Do you know how to foxtrot?"

Calhoun pulled her assault rifle off of her back and switched it on. The keening electrical whine stopped C.P. dead in his tracks. He turned slowly from the bar and looked at her, his cerci twitching nervously.

"Start talking, bug." The control panel on the cannon lit up ominously. "Why can't you let me go 'just yet'?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Hero's Duty: Code Blue" continues in Chapter 9: "Tamora's Surprise"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	9. Tamora's Surprise

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 9: Tamora's Surprise**

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

**Dritche and his wife Anna toiled night and day toward the great goal.**

**At last he met with success. He adjusted the unwieldy device he had built and turned the switch.**

**From the device stepped an exact Duplicate of Edmond Dritche.**

**Dritche had invented the world's first Duplicator.**

**He produced five hundred Dritches, then held a policy meeting. The five hundred pointed out that for a successful colony, they needed wives.**

**Dritche 1 considered his own Anna a perfect mate. The five hundred Dritches agreed, of course. So Dritche produced five hundred exact copies of her for the five hundred prototype Dritches, and the colony was founded.**

**Contrary to popular prediction the Dritche colony did well at first. The Dritches enjoyed each others company, never quarreled, and never wished for visitors. They comprised a satisfied little world in themselves.**

**But, as in all other utopian attempts, the seeds of disaster were present in simple human frailty. First, Dritche 49 was caught in a compromising position with Mrs. Dritche 5. Then Dritche 37 suddenly and passionately fell in love with Anna 142. This in turn led to the uncovering of a secret love nest built by Dritche 10 for Anna 498, with the connivance of Anna 3.**

**In vain Dritche 1 pointed out that all were equal and identical. The erring couples told him he knew nothing about love, and refused to give up their new arrangements.**

**The colony might have survived, but then it was found that Dritche 77 was maintaining a harem of eight Dritche women, Annas 12, 13, 77, 187, 303, 336, 489, and 500. These women declared him absolutely unique and refused to leave him.**

**The end was in sight. It was hastened when Dritche 1's wife ran away with a reporter.**

**The colony disbanded, and Dritches 1, 19, 32 and 433 died of broken hearts.**

**-Excerpted from "Triplication" by Robert Sheckley, 1959**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Fix-It Felix, Jr. trudged from the train back to his apartment. It had been another busy day in the arcade, and while all he wanted was to head home and have dinner and find his bed, the note had been placed into his hands.

Tammy's handwriting...

_Meet me at the platform to Formula One Xtreme after the arcade closes. If I'm not there within an hour, I'll see you at your apartment._

And she hadn't been there, though he got to meet the four racers from _F1X_ as they were headed into Game Central Station. They had been a little curious about him waiting there at the terminal platform, but he showed them the note. "My wife..." he beamed.

The two men and the two women, all dressed in colorful coordinating outfits, smiled and wished him well and told him that they were going over to _Finish Line_ to party with the racers there, and that if hea and his wife were looking for a bit of fun they were most welcome to join them.

And so the hour came and went.

As he approached Niceland, he looked up at his window. Some of the lights in his place appeared to be on. And on unlocking the door and letting himself in, he spotted Calhoun there waiting for him.

"So this is the reason for the note," he smiled.

"I wanted to surprise you," she said, but I needed time to get here and get set up. She was dressed in a red satin robe and apparently nothing else. Several candles had appeared around the apartment, lighting the room with a soft glow. Dinner waited on the table and soft music floated in the air. One of the ubiquitous pies sat on the sideboard waiting for dessert.

"I am surprised," he said. "You've never been this romantic before."

"Oh?" She looked a little nervous. "Well, I guess it's about time I was."

He smirked and sat at the table. "You should surprise me more often."

They had dinner quietly, without much small-talk, mostly just enjoying gazing at each other. The bottle of wine was soon empty, and the pie was left behind as they headed for the bedroom.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in Chapter 10: "In-A-Fix Felix"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	10. In-A-Fix Felix

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 10: In-A-Fix Felix**

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Ow! That hurts!" yelped C.P. as he flew downwards and for the exit.

Calhoun had tied a thin cable between some of his mouth parts and was using it for reins. "Yeah, well the faster you get me to_ Fix-It Felix, Jr_. the sooner I'll quit yanking on it."

"Do you really want to do this? Big can of worms you're opening up here."

"Your Sarge has betrayed me!" said Calhoun angrily. "Of course I'm going to open it up! And I'm going to serve it to both of you for dinner!"

"If you just let it go, he'll never know..."

"Oh I'm sure he'll know. I mean we aren't the same person and he's not blind."

Few heads turned as C.P. flew through _Code Blue_'s staging area, but a whole lot of heads turned as they blasted into Game Central Station and dove into _Fix-It Felix, Jr._. The Surge Protector didn't even have a chance to react to the breach.

Calhoun left C.P. outside of Niceland and ran inside. Not bothering to wait for the elevator, she ran up the fourteen half-flights of stairs to Felix's place, whipped out her key, burst into the apartment, and then went crashing into the bedroom.

Startled by the noise, Blue Calhoun and Felix sat up in bed, gasping at the intruder.

"You!" Calhoun spat. "You set me up so you could steal my husband!"

"Tammy?" choked Felix as he looked from one woman to the other.

The one in bed next to him sighed and looked away guiltily.

"You had C.P. keep me away so you could take advantage of Felix in my absence!"

It suddenly dawned on Felix what had happened...the romantic evening had been a set up and he'd completely fallen for it. "Oh no...oh curses no..." he whimpered. "I thought you were really Tammy, well, my Tammy." Felix fell back against the pillows and pulled the covers up over his head. "I just made love to the wrong Sgt. Calhoun," he wailed from beneath the sheets.

"I am Tammy. We're the same character."

"But you're not the same person," snarled the irate Calhoun. "Now get your hands off of him and get out of that bed." She whipped out her pistol and aimed it right at Blue Calhoun.

There was a loud buzz at the window and suddenly there was a large Cy-Bug outside of it, his four blue eyes staring in. Calhoun swung her pistol to the window and fired a few shots at C.P., who screamed and ducked behind the brick wall for cover. "And take your damn insect with you!"

Wordlessly Blue Calhoun slipped from the bed and tugged on the casual military jumpsuit she had arrived in.

"Now get out of here you...you...backstabber," Calhoun hissed at her twin. "I trusted you. You were my best friend. And now this! How could you find it in your Code to betray me?"

Blue Calhoun grabbed her satin robe and went to the shattered window. C.P. edged a little closer as she leaned out. "You wouldn't even listen to me if I told you," she said mercilessly as she climbed up onto C.P.'s back.

Calhoun turned to Felix as the drone of the Cy-Bug Prime's wings faded away. "And you..." she said walking up to the head of the bed.

"Tammy, I couldn't tell. Honestly."

Calhoun yanked back the bedcovers. Felix curled up tightly, trembling slightly, feeling very guilty and vulnerable.

"She has that broken black heart tattoo. How could you miss that!?"

"It was covered up by her robe."

"I just saw it, plain as day."

"It's kinda dark in here...and I wasn't really looking."

With that she slapped him across the cheek. "That's a poor excuse, soldier."

"Ow~" he whined. "But Tammy..."

"I'm going home."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hey Sarge! That other Markowski's here," said Blue Kohut as he gestured to the man beside him.

"Oh?" She said looking up from wiping down her assault rifle, something she liked to do in-between players.

The man saluted. "I have a message for you, Sir." He handed Blue Calhoun a note, written in her own handwriting.

_Street Fighter_

_M. Bison's stage_

_Midnight_

_Mano-a-mano_

Blue Calhoun crumpled the note. "Private Markowski, tell her I'll be there."

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in Chapter 11: "F1Xing Felix"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	11. F1Xing Felix

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 11: F1Xing Felix**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Felix found himself sitting in _Formula One Xtreme_, too frustrated and too scared of his wife to try to confront her and right the wrongs. As soon as the last game of the day had finished he'd made a dash for Game Central Station, hoping to hide, hoping to escape everything. The four racer characters were scorching around the track in an after-hours race, which he had learned was the "Germany 1969" stage. He sat in the grandstands, hiding amongst crowds of enthusiastic NPC's cheering in German for the four. An NPC in lederhosen came through the stands selling pretzels and beer, and Felix soon found both in his hands. The roar of the engines and the drone of the tires filled the green landscape beyond. But after a few more laps the race finished, the crowds filtered out of the stands, and soon all was comparatively quiet. He just sat there morosely, nibbling the pretzel and forcing himself to drink the beer, finding it rather sour compared to the fare served at _Tapper's_.

"Hey! Fix-it!" called someone.

He cowered and looked over to see Traci at the end of his row of seats, the racer girl with lots of dark curly hair.

"We thought we saw you in the stands!" She bounced over happily and plopped down next to him. She gave him a friendly little hug, squishing him sweetly. "I'm so happy you came over to watch us race!"

But letting him go, she immediately noticed his mood of depression. "Felix, what's wrong?"

He heaved a heavy sigh. "I did something mighty awful, Traci."

"Bad day at work?"

"No...remember that note from my wife, the one I showed you all last night?"

"You missed her and she got angry?"

The other three racers came into the grandstand, all dressed in red racing gear like Traci was. "Hey! Fix-It! Nice to see you!" They quickly made their way over to where Felix sat and crowded around him.

"Yeah, how's it going?" asked Larry. "Did you bring your wife with you?"

Traci shushed them. "Something bad happened!"

They all leaned in closely, genuine concern on their faces. "What happened, Felix?"

"Tell us about it," said blonde Sarah, taking Felix's hand.

The handyman sighed again and wiped away the tear forming in his eye. And then he recounted the events of the night from the time he had left the entry of their game, not even sure really why he as opening up to them. Why would they understand?

The four racers sat with him in the stands, listening with rapt attention.

"Oh Felix! That's awful."

"You were so set up!"

"It must be nice to have two beautiful women that want you though," grinned Joey.

"Joey!"

"Hey, it must be tough being married to a woman like Calhoun," said Larry sympathetically. You just stand back and stay out of the way. But Felix, you have to be the man sometimes," he advised.

"I am the man," said Felix.

"No no no," corrected Larry. "You misunderstand me. I know you're a man. But sometimes you need to be the man. You have to stand up to her and step in and tell her you made an honest mistake."

"That's all it will take to fix this?"

"That's all."

Joey nudged him on the arm. "Look, when you're married, it's not all happily ever after. Forgetwhat the fairytales have drummed into your head. You have to keep working on it. Maybe you slew the dragon or won the race or beat the end boss. And that's what won her heart. But that dragon keeps coming back, so you have to keep fighting it for her, to keep reminding her of why she loves you."

"So get out your courage and confidence and go tell her your side of the story and that she just has to deal with the fact that you were tricked and it really wasn't your fault."

"But I don't have any confidence," sobbed Felix, wringing his cap in his hands. "Not after this."

"Then let's go find your confidence," said Traci cheerfully.

"Look, that sounds fine and all, but it's not like something that's just slipped in between the couch cushions."

"But it is," said Sarah. She put her finger against his chest. "It's right here."

Felix pouted. "So good luck getting it out. How are we going to do that?" he said doubtfully.

The four racers looked at each other, their brilliant plan having hit a major snag.

Felix sighed and walked to the front of the grandstand, leaned his arms upon the safety rail, and rested his chin on them. "Well thanks. Maybe I'll figure something out."

"Well, winning a race always gives me confidence," said Joey.

"I can't even drive," laughed Felix awkwardly.

The four suddenly looked at each other, the previous puzzlement on their faces disappeared and was replaced with their own smug confidence.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in Chapter 12: "All Around the World"**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	12. All Around the World

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 12: All Around the World**

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

**The kisses of the sun**

**were sweet. I didn't blink  
I let it in my eyes**

**Like an exotic drink  
The radio playing songs**

**That I have never heard  
I don't know what to say **

**Oh not another word **

**-Opening lyrics to "All Around the World" by ATC**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Felix shifted into into top gear and leaned back into the race car's seat. The trackside scenery, the Dubai Formula One track, circa 2010, whizzed past. While each track in _Formula One Xtreme_ had a theme color that the racers' cars and uniforms followed, in this case blue, Melkus, the game's serving computer, had chosen yellow for him. And what a yellow it was—glossy and vibrant, sunshine and promise. Every else's colors changed, but his stayed, giving him an identity there.

The desert night was awash with stars, and his head was awash with champagne, pop music, and the encouragement of his four teachers. He'd once tried driving Vanellope's little cart at her insistence, and had failed miserably. But somehow he could drive this slender beast of a machine, a powerful engine set on four wide wheels, somehow having understood the tutelage of his four teachers. And he felt good about it too, especially as the speedometer climbed above 150 kmph and stayed above that mark.

Ralph had always said that he'd taught Vanellope to drive her cart, and while there was some question as to whether he had taught her or if she had simply rediscovered a lost memory, Felix wondered if she had done as poorly as he had at first. But once he figured out the basics of the pedals and gears and where to aim the nose of the car he hadn't done too shabbily. After a few pathetic laps at low speeds, he had decided to push himself to higher speeds, and after a few more bold runs the four had decided he was ready to tackle the real thing.

He felt like a racer, and even though he knew racing was not in his Code, not in the way that Vanellope always reminded them, he felt comfortable with it. He looked like a racer too. His jeans and workshirt had been replaced by a close-fitting driver's suit and his crumpled cap by a helmet, all bold yellow to match the car.

"I'm going to pass you, Joey," he announced over the intercom, effortlessly coming up close on the other racer's tail. The car seemed to be propelled by testosterone-laced rocket fuel.

"Just try it, Fix-It," came the response.

It was another lap or so before he was able to, but as the finish line approached, he managed to squeeze out another burst of speed. He pulled ahead, screamed through the final stretch, and managed to finish narrowly ahead of the blond man. "I think I won!" Felix gasped, watching a checkered flag fill his rear-view mirrors.

"You did win," cheered the girls.

"Eh, I let you win," said Joey with a laugh in his voice.

"No way you did," laughed Larry. "Felix won fair and square. You were being too lazy on the track thinking he was a pushover."

Joey blew a raspberry over the intercom.

"So now off to the winner's circle and more champagne," said Sarah.

"More champagne?" Felix said disbelievingly. "Haven't we had enough?"

The four racers all laughed. "Hardly!"

Felix groaned. This was the fifth track they'd been on, and after each race they'd partied in the winners' circle. Admittedly it seemed that they ended up wearing more champagne than they actually drank. For some reason they loved shaking the oversized bottles and spraying each other with it. And at each party the girls would change into cute little dresses in the track's theme color and the guys into smart looking pants and tight shirts, and then the four would dance together. He'd heard rumors of the victory celebrations in F1X before, but none of his circle of friends had actually been to one. Apparently when someone got a score high enough to make it onto the top-ten list, this victory scene would play like a little music video, Traci and Sarah winking and blowing kisses and Larry and Joey saluting and cheering for the winner.

Felix guided the car into the winner's circle where the four racers and the NPC's gathered to congratulate the winner. He hopped from the car with a happy-sounding 'sproing,' landing atop the victor's stand, where a gorgeous woman in a blue evening gown handed him a huge trophy and kissed him atop his helmet. For a moment he saw himself standing atop Niceland, on top of his own world. He always felt great there, completely in control and in harmony with everything he loved.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"This is getting too painful to watch," complained Kohut as Calhoun stumbled into his arms. He caught his sergeant and sat her down. Then he took the iced towel Bison handed him and he held it to the swelling bruise behind Calhoun's left ear. Blue Calhoun had caught her when she was unable to block.

"You don't have to keep watching," she responded between pants for breath. "Just be here to haul me home when we're done." Cammy handed Kohut a cup of water and the big man pushed it to Calhoun's lips. She drank a few mouthfuls.

Kohut looked over at Blue Calhoun. "How long are you two going to keep this up? I don't even know what this is about," he asked grimly.

"It's about honor, and I'm going to keep it up until she apologizes."

"Apologizes for what?"

"That's between her and I, soldier."

"Well if it's any encouragement, she looks like she's about to wear out as well," he said looking to where Blue Calhoun was resting, Blue Kohut and Ken Masters at her side.

"Good. If I can land a solid punch this'll be over."

"If you can. You two are so evenly matched."

"I'm tired, injured, and bitchy. I just want to get this over with."

The buzz of a Cy-Bug's wings made them all look up, and there was C.P.. "It took me a while to find you," he said with some impatience as he landed. He scrabbled over to Blue Calhoun and looked at her, and then looked at over at the other Calhoun, and then back at his Sarge.

"What?" Blue Calhoun hissed when he gave her a look of exasperation.

"I see what's going on here," he huffed. "Why are you doing this? There's no need to fight about it is there?"

"She wanted justice, and I'm giving it to her."

"You'll hurt her. Look, you're already hurt yourself." He reached out and lifted her chin, bleeding from a long scratch where she had somehow caught the other sergeant's armor.

"I'm fine, C.P.. Really."

The bug looked over at Calhoun again and sighed, seeing her stumbling to her feet. And when he turned back he saw Blue Calhoun was rising shakily as well. Her Kohut was fussing with her arm. "You two will kill each other," he said mournfully.

"Well, if you'd done your job, this wouldn't have happened," snarled Blue Calhoun and she walked toward their private arena. "I was counting on you to keep her there until morning."

C.P. scuttled after her. "I couldn't help it. She forced me to tell her, and then forced me to take her to you."

"Then you'd better pray I don't kill her."

"Sarge! No!" He put his front claws onto her shoulders but she shrugged them off.

She turned dramatically and laughed coldly at his naivety. "Of course I'm not going to kill her. But I will make her think twice about picking a fight. If I win maybe I'll get to keep Felix. Wouldn't that be nice."

"You're mad," he gasped. "What makes you think he'd want you? Especially after all this?"

"Isn't it obvious? He couldn't tell us apart. He just wants a Calhoun."

That's all I want too," C.P. whimpered. "Though that girl with the braids looks pretty good too," he said to himself with a glance toward Cammy. He chased after the Sarge. "Please stop this. Don't make me put a stop to it."

"It's too late, Romeo. There's nothing you can do."

"What do you mean there's nothing I can do? Of course there's something. There's always something!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

After posing for pictures and getting sprayed with champagne, the music started up and Felix made a quick dash to the locker room to shower off the sweat and road grime and bubbly. "Melkus!" he addressed the computer as Larry had shown him, "Dress me for the victory party in Dubai."

There was a quick splash of water and a shower of light, and suddenly he stood there clean and dried and dressed to rejoin the others. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror he was a bit surprised. He now wore a tight blue tee-shirt, a black leather blazer, perfectly fitting grey denim jeans, polished black shoes, and broad sunglasses. Melkus had even given him a spiky little haircut. He giggled and went back to the winner's circle where the crowd was bouncing to a cheerful pop music tune. He found a seat near the bar and sat there, watching the celebrations, all for him. Some of the NPC's came by and offered congratulations, some of the girls even kissing him on the cheek.

After the song ended Sarah and Traci joined him at the bar. "Felix, look at you! You look hot!" Traci squealed with a big smile.

"You think so? This is kinda different for me. I just told your computer to dress me and this is what it put me in. It was just putting me back into my work clothes."

"You're still short, but you are one sexy shortie," said Sarah with a big wink.

"You should wear that home. Let your wife see you."

"Really? You think so?"

"More champagne?" asked Sarah, picking up a bottle and filling his glass. It wasn't so much of a question as it was a statement that she was refilling his flute. At this point he would not have been surprised to find that all of the fountains and taps in Formula One Xtreme ran with the stuff.

"C'mon, Fix-It. Let's go dance!" said Joey, dashing over as a new song began to play. He grabbed Felix by the arm and Traci grabbed the other.

"Well I don't know how you..." He knew the dances in _Dance Dance Revolution_, and he knew how the Nicelanders cut a rug at parties, but he felt somewhat intimidated by the elaborate choreography the four racers used when dancing with each other. His fears were all in vain though. Fifteen minutes later the NPC's were all chanting his name and pushing him back onto the dance floor every time he tried to leave it.

When the victory party finally wound down, Larry and Felix sat at the bar watching the girls dance and Joey flirt with the NPCs. You look like a new man, Felix," he stated.

"I feel like a new man."

"Think you're ready to tell the missus what's in your heart?"

"I think so."

He lifted his champagne flute in a toast. "Well here's to taking control, and beating Joey on the track, and getting things back together where they should be."

Felix lifted his glass. "To all that..." he grinned.

"Hey, why don't you take that car home for a few days. Just keep it parked where the players can't see it."

"What would I do with a race car in Fix-It Felix, Jr.?"

"It doesn't have to be a formula one car. Melkus has a few other designs he can change it to." Larry called up to the computer. "Yo! Melkus! Give Felix's car a new look...something he can park in his driveway and make every guy in the neighborhood green with envy."

The yellow rocket was still parked at the center of the party, and suddenly it flashed with light and transformed, just as it had for each new track he took it to. Only this time it took the shape of a sleek expensive-looking sports car. There were cheers and oohs from the NPC's

"There you go, Fix-It. Take it home and take the wife out for a ride. Guaranteed she'll be all over you by the time you shift into third."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously, my friend. Well, at least that works here in Formula One Xtreme."

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in Chapter 13: Big Blue Trouble**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	13. Big Blue Trouble

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 13: Big Blue Trouble**

Felix expected the Surge Protector's alarm to go off as he exited _Formula One Xtreme_, and it did. He stopped the car and climbed out with a bit of a swagger, ready to show it off to the Surge Protector, who would no doubt be impressed. More than that, he couldn't wait for Gene to get a gander at it.

But the look on the man's face was not one of being impressed but one of panic. "Felix! You have to get over to _Hero's Duty: Code Blue_ right away!" He turned and looked across Game Central Station. "Vanellope! He's here!" he shouted.

"Golly, Surge. What's wrong?"

"Sgt. Calhoun, your Sgt. Calhoun, your wife, has been kidnapped."

Felix's eyes opened wide. "What?! My wife? Kidnapped?"

Vanellope, running to the entrance of F1X as fast as her little legs could carry her, skidded to a halt with an exclamation of "Whoa! Look at this car!"

"Vanellope, what's going on?!" Felix asked, not wanting to believe what the Surge Protector had just told him.

"Felix! Calhoun and Blue Calhoun were over in Street Fighter fighting about something that happened but then C.P. showed up and grabbed our Calhoun and flew back to _Code Blue_ saying something about he was going to keep her and that you couldn't have her back and now Ralph and Blue Calhoun are going to rescue her but they didn't know where you were and they couldn't find you anywhere. And where did you get this amazing car? It's really incredible! Did you..."

"Vanellope! Slow down!" demanded Felix, cutting off her blue streak.

"Felix, you have to get over to _Code Blue_. No joke," said the Surge Protector.

"Tammy? Kidnapped by C.P.? Why would he do that?" he asked as the reality was starting to sink in.

"Get over there now! Go-go-go!" he said, slapping his hand on the glossy yellow hood of the car.

Felix jumped back in and Vanellope followed, glitching into the passenger seat. He drove carefully through the station, but once in the conduit to _Code Blue_, he pressed hard on the accelerator, praying that there was no one walking along the trackside road.

"Felix, I didn't know you could drive! Not like this!" said Vanellope in all excitement.

"I just learned."

"Where'd you get the car? Did'ya steal it? Did'ja steal this too?" she asked.

Felix glanced over to see her hoisting up the racing trophy the woman in the blue evening gown had presented to him. He had put it on the floor in front of the passenger seat. "That? I won it."

"Ralph goes to _Hero's Duty_ and gets a medal. You go to _Formula One Xtreme_ and get a trophy. Next thing you know, Gene's going to take down Ryu and Ken. Whoa, you got a new haircut too!"

"Look, I'll tell you about it later," he said trying to concentrate on the long 360 degree turn where there was a loop in the power cord leading to the _Code Blue_ console. "Right now we've got to go rescue Tammy."

"And then you'll tell me everything, right?"

"Of course, of course."

"Will ya' let me drive this car sometime? It's sugarlicious sweet!"

"No. Now just let me concentrate on driving. It's not in my Code like it is in yours."

Vanellope put the trophy back down and sat back against the leather upholstery of the yellow roadster. Her kart smelled delicious, of baked treats and frosting and candy. This one smelled artificial and inedible, but of power and exhilaration, which intrigued her inexplicably.

They tore into _Code Blue_'s terminal, the wheels screeching to a stop. Some of the station NPC's ran over to meet them.

"Fix-it Felix, Jr.?" asked one of the men in jumpsuits.

"That's me," answered the handyman.

"We've got your armor here, brought over from the other _Hero's Duty_. The Sarge and Ralph figured you'd want it to go after her."

Felix found himself smiling. "They knew I'd come."

"They're already in the Pyramid fighting their way up with some of our soldiers. We saw C.P. fly with your Sgt. Calhoun up to the top of the Pyramid. And we've got a team of men here to escort you up as well."

"Thanks. I wouldn't know the way."

"Over here, Sir," called another NPC to him.

He followed the man to the quartermaster's station and he stepped onto the dressing platform.

His armor...

Tammy had gotten the quartermaster in her game to make it for him, a small sized but fully functional suit, made so that he would have something more protective to wear in _Hero's Duty_ when they went out adventuring together. She had put it on him, in the privacy of her room in the barracks, but they never quite made it to the battle-zone. Instead they only found themselves passionately rolling around on her spartan little bed, the dressing constantly interrupted by the undressing. Two more nights of the same, and Felix came to realize that his wife had something of a fetish for armor and the idea was simply an excuse to indulge it. This would be the first time he'd actually worn it outside of her room in the barracks.

Felix stepped onto the glowing blue shoe-print marks on the floor and raised his arms to grip the handles above him. "Ready!" he called to the computer.

Immediately the computer snapped into action, a multitude of robotic arms dropping and pushing the pieces against him while the human attendants buckled and fastened them and connected the computer cables. The computer in _Formula One Xtreme_ had a dressing sequence of a shower of water and light, which had been somewhat innocent and refreshing. Here, it was all physical. The armor was pre-formed and dropped onto the wearer, whereas Melkus constructed clothing right on the body.

Stepping off of the platform, a group of five men ran up and saluted. "Fix-It Felix, Jr.? We're to be your escort up the Pyramid," announced the man in the lead.

Felix blinked, and then he suddenly recognized the members of his personal guard. "You're the stunt doubles!" he choked. "But Blue Calhoun said that you were worth..." He suddenly caught his tongue.

"Worthless? Yeah. She says that a lot," said the redhead.

"It's time to prove to her that we're not," grinned the soldier with the perfect butter-blond hair and sky-blue eyes.

"What about me?" piped up Vanellope, nearly forgotten in the heat of the moment. "I'm going after her too!"

Felix turned to her where she sat at the edge of the quartermaster's platform. "Vanellope, this will be dangerous. And besides, this isn't your battle."

"Ralph went, and he's just as much as a friend to Calhoun as I am to her," she protested.

"You're a brave girl, and you came and got me. You've done your part. Besides, he's probably wearing fifty pounds of armor and carrying a gun that's bigger than you are."

"Hey kid. C'mere," said the stunt double who looked like a shorter but handsomer version of Kohut.

Vanellope looked at him somewhat suspiciously.

He knelt down and held out his hand to her. "I've seen you riding around on that Ralph guy's shoulders. Could you do that with me?"

Vanellope's scowl disappeared beneath a wide grin and in two jumps she was on his shoulder. The big man stood up and flashed a winning smile at the girl. "My name's Private Riley."

"Hi Riley," she said. "Thanks."

"Here, you'd better take this, and be ready to use it." He reached down to his holster and pulled his pistol from it. "Careful...it's got an eager trigger."

Vanellope took the weapon, needing both hands to manage it, and she grinned wickedly as she looked through the sights.

Felix stamped his foot. "Not only are you taking her in with us, but you just gave a nine-year-old a gun," huffed Felix.

"That's just my appearance," Vanellope snorted and stuck out her tongue at the handyman.

"Okay, so I won't be winning any awards for good parenting this year," Riley chuckled. And then he brought up his own weapon, a heavy cannon with all eleven barrels aglow and ready to fire. "You ready, Ms. President?"

She brandished the pistol across her chest and her eyes narrowed. "I'm ready," she said sinisterly, tucking her toes into some of Pvt. Riley's armor to hold on.

"On your orders, Sir," prompted Pvt. Wilbert, pushing his thick glasses back up his nose.

Felix sighed, knowing that there was no way he could get Vanellope to stay behind now. Then he snapped his faceplate closed decisively. "Let's go!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in:**

**Chapter 14: Into the Pyramid**

**Chapter 15: The End Boss**

**Chapter 16: The Final Battle**

**Chapter 17: Waking Calhoun**

**Chapter 18: Good Advice from a Bad Guy**

**Chapter 19: Finale**

**Chapter 20: Code Blue Commentary and Bloopers Reel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	14. Into the Pyramid

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 14: Into the Pyramid**

-o-o-o-o-o-

The team of seven ran hard through the Pyramid. There were few Cy-Bugs about, but plenty of bug-shadows littered the area, the roughly circular remains of a near-ground Cy-Bug kill, a starburst of metallic dust and a scattering of broken plates. Pvt. McMillen, the redhead who had kissed Blue Calhoun in Tapper's so long ago, led the way. He was very fast and accurate with his shots, and there was little for the rest of the team to do when it came to mopping up the strays.

On the eighth floor they caught up to Blue Calhoun's team, heralded by their own gunfire. Currently they were just inside a tall room where Cy-Bugs were pouring in ten at a time from three holes in the upper walls. Blue Calhoun was on point. Ralph, in a suit of armor, was off to her side simply smashing any Cy-Bug within reach of his fists. The wrecker was astounded to see Vanellope there, atop her perch on the soldier's shoulder, a gun in her hands, tracking and taking shots at any bugs on the ceiling or in the air—with surprisingly deadly accuracy. As Pvt. Riley got close to Ralph she grinned at her friend. "Heya Sergeant Stinkbrain!"

Ralph saluted her. "Greetings, Major Disaster."

"At ease, Lieutenant Lumphead."

"As you wish, General Nuisance."

Felix worked his way up to Blue Calhoun's side and took his stance beside her, firing hard into the mass of oncoming Cy-Bugs that were now pouring out of an opened doorway. But with the additional firepower of the new arrivals the number of targets seemed less overwhelming.

"Fix-It," she acknowledged him with a nod. For a moment there was a ghost of a smile upon her lips, the memories of the wonderful hours spent with him previous night still fresh in her mind. But as quickly as the smile had appeared, it immediately faded into the bitterness that had followed the encounter. "I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did," came Blue Calhoun's voice over the com-link in Felix's helmet. A pop-up window indicated that the system had been set for a private conversation. "But I want you to know that I don't regret what I did and I'm not about to apologize for anything."

"That's an odd thing to be telling me right now." Feeling another soldier coming up behind him, he threw himself to the ground to give the man a clearer shot while he himself kept up a steady barrage from a low angle.

"I wanted you to know how I felt," she said, not once letting up in the attack.

"I think my Tammy would have said the same thing." He shuffled forward a couple paces on his belly and resumed firing from a new angle. "Tell me this though. If you're so hung up on Brad still, why did you do it?"

There was silence, and then came the sound of a sniffle. Felix had heard that same sound from his wife before, that little sound of her crying over the loss of Brad. Tammy always tried to hide it from him, sobbing softly in the night, or sometimes when she was alone gazing out of his apartment window. It couldn't be helped. The memories were inescapable and haunting. And here was Blue Calhoun, victim to the same programming.

"Because Brad's never coming back and your Tammy's right. Sometimes we just have to move on. If she could do that with you, maybe you could get me started." She fired again at the Cy-Bugs spilling over the lip of an upper balcony. "Besides, I didn't want to be a virgin forever," she sniffled.

"I thought you and Brad, well...you know."

"No. There aren't any memories of it. Nothing."

"Tammy said she had, well sorta, I guess. She just winked at me the time I asked."

"I think she was trying to impress you, and to impress herself. There's no memory of it there. Nothing ever happened like that."

Felix was astounded. All this time he had assumed that little wink his wife had given him had meant something very different. Of course there had never been a Brad, but had the memory been somewhere in her backstory, it would have counted.

She dropped her rifle a moment to change the setting, and then brought it back up again with a renewed attack. "Like I said, I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope you can understand something of my feelings at least."

"Tamora Jean," he said softly. He rolled across the floor to lie next to her feet gazing up at her. "I think I understand."

Her rifle went silent.

"Look down."

She glanced down to see her twin's husband lying beside her feet looking back up at her. "I forgive you," he said gently.

She fired a few more rounds and fell back, dragging Felix with her. She moved back behind the group, hauling the handyman into an alcove. The faceplate on her helmet snapped up. "You mean it? You could actually forgive me? Despite me using you like that and betraying your wife."

Felix pushed up his own mask. "How could I not?" He could see the damp tracks of tears across her cheeks. "You're a great gal. That's why I married someone just like you."

The sounds of cannonfire and screaming Cy-Bugs all around them, they floated frozen in their own little world for a moment, eyes locked together, oblivious to the battle raging just a few arm's length away.

"I wish I could kiss you again. You're such a great guy," she sighed. "I can't though. Not now."

"In that case, I'll kiss you." Felix leaned forward and pushed his lips hard against Blue Calhoun's, kissing her with all seriousness and conviction and confidence and hoping that everyone else was too busy to notice the little drama unfolding in the alcove. Without lingering he quickly pulled away and snapped his faceplate closed again. "Now lets go rescue Tammy."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The party continued to charge up the Pyramid, pausing on the twelfth floor to look into C.P.'s apartment. Finding it dark and empty, they moved on. Though as the guys at the base had said, he had appeared to have flown straight for the top of the Pyramid so there had not been much hope of finding either him or Calhoun there.

The levels grew harder and several of the men were lost. By the time they reached the end of the fourteenth floor, there were just three stunt doubles, Blue Calhoun, Vanellope, Felix, Ralph, and four of the original ten squad men remaining. Reaching the door that entered into the End Boss' chamber, the place the players battled C.P. for possession of Blue Calhoun, where now the team would be battling for possession of Felix's Calhoun, they rested and prepared their weapons.

"All right, ladies," Blue Calhoun addressed them. "Inside we're going up against the Cy-Bug Prime, and I will warn you now that he does not fight nice. Fix-It, Wreck-It, Candy Girl...I want you to stay back. Way back," she emphasized. "C.P.'s got a move that will one-shot even a guy at full health, and you don't want to be on the receiving end of it."

The Asian-looking stunt double raised his hand. He wore his sunglasses even under his tinted faceplate.

"Pvt. Chen, you have a question?"

"When we beat C.P., can we kiss you, even though you're awake?"

Blue Calhoun rolled her eyes.

Felix, quite familiar with the weaponry of Hero's Duty, was checking over his rifle carefully. "I'd like to try to grab Tammy while we're fighting," he announced. "If I can get her out of there, one, she'll be safer, and two, we might not have to finish the fight."

"All right, Fix-It. Sounds like a good plan. Candy Girl, why don't you give him a hand with that."

Vanellope nodded with all seriousness, and for a moment one could almost imagine her as a professional mercenary.

"You ladies ready?" Blue Calhoun snarled at them all.

"Rootin!' Tootin!' Ready for shootin'," said Ralph as he hefted his rifle.

"Just don't let it phase you that he's a friend. He's turned on us...turned on us all, and _Heav'n has no rage like love to hatred turn'd. Nor Hell a fury, like a Cy-Bug scorn'd_."

"_Hero's Duty_ is Hell," grimaced Blue Kohut.

The group got into formation and Blue Calhoun punched the large button on the door that flashed in neon.

The massive metal doors slid open to reveal the next to last chamber of the Pyramid, an immense room that rose up beyond the reach of the lights, taking up half of the Pyramid's crest. Two massive columns rose from the floor to support the sloping ceiling while several platforms of varying heights provided a complicated battleground upon which to stage the final fight. At the center of it all was the platform for the Cy-Bug Prime, a massive perch for C.P. to launch his attacks from, and the place where the unconscious Blue Calhoun would be lying like a damsel in distress, waiting for the reviving kiss from her knight in black armor.

Only the Cy-Bug Prime wasn't there. Nor was Calhoun. The chamber was completely silent and deserted.

"Oh my land," gasped Felix. "Now what?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in:**

**Chapter 15: The End Boss**

**Chapter 16: The Final Battle**

**Chapter 17: Waking Calhoun**

**Chapter 18: Good Advice from a Bad Guy**

**Chapter 19: Finale**

**Chapter 20: Code Blue Commentary and Bloopers Reel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	15. The End Boss

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 15: The End Boss**

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

**I have a blue house with a blue window.  
Blue is the color of all that I wear.  
Blue are the streets and all the trees are too.  
I have a girlfriend and she is so blue.  
Blue are the people here that walk around,  
Blue like my corvette, it's in and outside.  
Blue are the words I say and what I think.  
Blue are the feelings that live inside me.**

I'm blue, da ba dee, da ba die... 

**-More lyrics from "Blue (Da Ba De)" by Eiffel 65**

-o-o-o-o-o-

C.P. flitted about the haphazard garden rehearsing the pretty things he would say to Calhoun when she woke up. She hadn't yet woken, however. What was taking her so long?

He scuttled back over to where she was stretched out on a piece of what had once been part of the spacecraft's hull. She lay there unconscious, a sleeping princess waiting for her prince. Ethereal pink peonies in abundant bloom surrounded her, their petals glowing softly in the dark atmosphere.

No. Not her prince. She was waiting for her silly little handyman to come rescue her.

But would he? Things had blown up in Felix's apartment and chances were that the relationship wasn't on the most stable ground right now—a perfect time to make a move on her again. But someone, probably her own unit, would come for her. They knew their own survival depended upon her safe return to _Hero's Duty_.

C.P. pinched a rose off of one of the nearby bushes and carefully snipped away the thorns. Then he placed it into Calhoun's hands, curling her fingers around the stem and arranging them over her stomach. He smiled at his handiwork. She looked lovely, a vision of human female perfection.

On bringing her here, he had gently stripped off her armor and reluctantly dressed her in Blue Calhoun's wedding gown. Reluctantly? She had been simply magnificent in just her skin and scars, looking so innocent and vulnerable. But knowing the Calhoun character, waking up nearly naked would only leave her angrier and more defensive and more reluctant to accept him.

So he'd stolen the prettiest thing in the Sarge's closet, the ivory satin wedding dress, hanging like the black sheep of the family amidst a wardrobe of military clothing. There was her dress uniform, the dark olive suit hung with a couple of medals, but it wasn't right for this occasion. He would have put her into the little red satin robe, a gift he had given to his Calhoun, but it was missing. Most likely the Sarge had thrown it into the laundry after her infiltration mission to _Fix-It Felix, Jr._. So he'd chosen the wedding gown, stuffing it and its bag of accoutrements into a large empty space beneath his carapace where no one would see it. Once things had settled down, he'd get her lots of pretty clothes—gowns and dresses and lacy lingerie to wear about his apartment...not that she'd wear any of it. Fine clothing really wasn't her, but at least he could try.

C.P. reached down and primped her hair, arranging her bangs beneath the headpiece, hoping she would regain consciousness soon, knowing that he couldn't keep her hidden forever. He needed her to wake up soon so he could work on winning her heart before the others interfered. It would be difficult, made especially so by the fact that she was married to the little handyman.

What had she seen in him? He was short and un-muscular and carried no weapons. The golden hammer was more of an anti-weapon. He was so unlike the men in _Hero's Duty_ she led into battle. Perhaps that difference was what had appealed to her, and had appealed to his Calhoun. Or perhaps it was his nice-guy attitude and demeanor. Fix-It Felix was the nicest guy anyone here knew. He was a true hero in every sense of the word.

Such a shame it had to be Felix he was stealing her from. Why couldn't she have married some jerk of a man, or someone who ignored her, or made her long for something more in her relationship.

Nervously he began to primp the garden around him, pinching off spent blossoms and pruning some of the bushes. Fix-It Felix was some tough competition for the heart of the sergeant. Off in the distance he heard a dull explosion and he looked up to see the tenth floor of the Pyramid exploding in a burst of fire and blue flames.

They had to be headed up the Pyramid looking for him. There was no other reason for the detonation sequence to have gone off otherwise, not when the arcade was closed. He smiled sardonically. Those poor saps had at least another hour of fighting before they reached the fifteenth floor and discovered that he had not followed his programming.

But then they would start looking elsewhere for him.

And then he sighed and looked over at his abducted bride, doubting his hasty plan again. If he couldn't win her over quickly, she was going to be a very difficult prisoner to keep.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in:**

**Chapter 16: The Final Battle**

**Chapter 17: Waking Calhoun**

**Chapter 18: Good Advice from a Bad Guy**

**Chapter 19: Finale**

**Chapter 20: Code Blue Commentary and Bloopers Reel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	16. The Final Battle

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 16: The Final Battle**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**My fantasy has turned to madness  
And all my goodness  
Has turned to badness  
My need to possess you  
Has consumed my soul  
My life is trembling  
I have no control**

**I will have you  
Yes, I will have you  
I will find a way and I will have you  
Like a butterfly  
A wild butterfly  
I will collect you and capture you**

**-Lyrics from "Obsession," by Animotion**

-o-o-o-o-o-

A quick search of the top floor of the Pyramid revealed that C.P. was nowhere in sight. The eggs in the room beyond were all intact.

"Now what, Sarge?" They all looked to Blue Calhoun.

"Is there anywhere else he likes to go? Somewhere else in the Pyramid that he likes to hang out?" Felix asked.

We could check his apartment again," suggested one of her men.

Blue Calhoun stepped to the window and looked out, the wind coming through the vents whipping the longer parts of her hair about wildly. "There is somewhere...but it's not inside the Pyramid."

"Where?"

"Let's get back down to the station and refresh our ranks. We'll need to take an air-skiff out next."

-o-o-o-o-o-

C.P. was still gardening and fretting when they found him. He screamed in distress and ran to stand protectively over Calhoun's unconscious form. She still had not woken up.

The skiff dropped in and he recognized the faces aboard it—the Sarge, her unit, the five stunt doubles, the handyman, and the candy princess.

C.P. crouched low over Calhoun, a stance the _Code Blue_ contingent all recognized as a defensive position.

"C.P.! Just give her back to us," shouted Blue Calhoun.

"We just want her returned safely!" called Felix.

"She's mine now! She'll be my wife and live with me up in the Pyramid."

"C.P.! _Hero's Duty_ needs her. The players need her to lead them up the tower!" explained Blue Calhoun. "If you take her, _Hero's Duty_ will be shut down...unplugged."

"So then give Kohut a promotion and let him take over. Heck, any of the soldiers could do her job."

"I need her! She's my wife!" said Felix, trying not to buckle under the emotional strain of the moment.

"Never! You have the Sarge." C.P.'s wings erupted and he flew upwards, the faint stripes on his body now beginning to glow intensely.

"Halo attack!" yelled Blue Calhoun. "Hide!"

Riley grabbed Vanellope and dashed for cover while Blue Calhoun did the same with Felix. Everyone else was ducking for any shelter they could find.

From his stripes the Cy-Bug's light spread across his body, his whole shell glowing brighter and brighter. And then the light condensed into a hoop several yards across floating around him. C.P. let out a metallic screech and the white halo flew to the ground, instantly incinerating the dried grass and scorching the rocks.

The heat generated by the attack was unbearable and the men wailed and wilted. Riley did his best to shelter the unarmored Vanellope with his body, but even she felt the oppressive waves of heat from the attack.

"How often can he do that?" whimpered Felix.

"Three times. It's not damaging unless you're right in the target area," answered Blue Calhoun, the two of them cowering tightly with two of her men behind a boulder. "But it's a stamina drainer. You're going to feel miserable until the target area cools down again."

She leaned out to look as C.P. descended with a crash and began seeking out the soldiers. And then she noticed the stunt doubles running away, making their way up the bluff. "Hey! Where are you pussy willows going?" she shouted angrily over the com-link.

"We're breaking this battle into two fronts," said Dekker confidently. "We're going to take up a position on the high ground and fire at him from there."

Blue Calhoun smiled—it wasn't cowardice—it was tactics. "All right. We'll take him from below." She looked at Felix. "C.P.'s moved away from the sergeant so she should be safe. Get yourself and Candy Girl out of here. I don't want any permanent casualties."

"Where should we go?"

"Anywhere. Just get back where you won't end up in the middle of things."

"I should go to Tammy."

"Negatory. The last thing he wants is her dead, so she'll be fine over there. And given his attitude now I don't think he'd hesitate to attack anything that gets close to her."

C.P. was swiping at any of the soldiers he found. Those in the open were quickly flicked away by his swinging legs. For those amidst the rocks he would use a lightning attack, in which he would charge himself by drawing power both from the weaponfire and directly out of the ground, releasing it in a bolt that would frazzle the receiving target into a quivering corpse. Several of Blue Calhoun's men fell to this attack, dying horrible screaming deaths.

From atop the bluff the stunt doubles fired down at the Cy-Bug Prime. Pvt. Wilbert had set up his mortar, which was the only effective weapon against C.P. when he was stationary and charging up for a lightning attack. And when moving about, Pvt. Chen, the sharpshooter, became a major threat.

Felix was also atop the bluff now and he led Vanellope away from the stunt doubles' position, the girl somewhat loathe to leave her perch on Riley's shoulder from which she could shoot at the enemy below. He ran with her to behind an outcropping where he figured they would be safe from C.P.'s heat and lightning attacks. From there they peered around the side of the rocks, watching the battle against the dreadful monster C.P. had become.

Annoyed by one too many of Chen and Wilbert's attacks, C.P. flew to the top of the bluff to attack the stunt doubles and end their dangerous barrage. He dashed forward into their position and seized the closest one, in this case it was Pvt. Riley. "Sorry Riley," he apologized. As the others ducked for cover and continued their firing, C.P. tossed the luckless soldier three stories into the air. As the body dropped back to the ground he flipped up a front claw and caught Riley cleanly with it, impaling him neatly on his foot.

Vanellope screamed and Felix quickly pulled her face-first into his chest, hiding her eyes from the hideous attack. His arms pulled her in close and together they cowered in a tight ball behind their shelter. "That must be that one-shot attack that Blue Calhoun warned us about."

"That was horrible," cried Vanellope, her earlier confidence gone.

C.P. flicked the dead body of the soldier off of his claw and searched for another of the men. This time he managed to grab Pvt. Chen and likewise executed him, throwing him upwards and catching him on the point of a claw. But Pvt. Wilbert, physically insignificant and easily overlooked, darted undetected underneath C.P. and planted two magnetic mines into C.P.'s vulnerable leg joints.

The Cy-Bug Prime didn't notice him until Wilbert escaped, and seeing Wilbert running away, he knew what had happened. Quickly he searched his body for the mines, but it was too late. They detonated moments later, blowing off two of his legs. He screamed out, his unearthly wails filling the twilight battlefield. Angrily he lurched forward on his four remaining legs and limped after him. He caught up quickly and grabbed Wilbert, but instead of throwing him into the air as he had the two others he tossed him against a nearby bank of earth, and as the soldier tumbled down the face of it, C.P.'s claw shot out and he stabbed him clean through, pinning him against the rock. Howling out his vengeance C.P. speared him with a second claw and then tore the little man apart.

By this time the other group of soldiers had found their way up the bluff and took positions to fire again. "C.P.! Stop this!" Blue Calhoun screamed at the rampaging bug. "It doesn't have to happen this way. She looked down at the bloody mess that had been Pvt. Wilbert, his body rent into perhaps a dozen pieces. "This is wrong! There is no need to fight!"

Wilbert's remains began to fade along with the crimson blood on C.P.'s claws.

"You won't have me, so I'll have her, and you can have the little handyman, and then you and I will be happy here in Code Blue. Wasn't that your plan all along?" the insect snarled. "To have Felix and be happy?"

"C.P.!" she gasped in terror. Her secret was out.

Her men ceased firing and stood staring at their leader.

"That's right," C.P. told the men. "She pretended to be the other Calhoun so she could get a taste of married life.

Felix turned bright red as Vanellope gasped.

Blue Calhoun's squad looked at her in shock, amazed that she would do such a thing and betray her twin. Blue Kohut looked at her, his face disbelieving, and then pointed an accusing finger at her. "So that's what this has been all about? The duel and now this battle?" He looked ready to throw down his rifle and go home.

"The duel was between the other Calhoun and I. But no, this battle is about C.P. kidnapping her. This wasn't part of the plan. Grabbing her was all his idea," she growled pointing an accusing finger at her friend.

"You're right," said C.P., stumbling toward her on his remaining legs, blue blood spurting from the gaps that had once held legs. "It wasn't part of the plan, but I wasn't going to stand by and watch you get what you wanted at my expense and leave me with nothing. Suppose you hadn't been caught? How soon would you have gone back for another round? How often would you keep going?"

"C.P., sometimes we make mistakes," Blue Calhoun sighed guiltily. "What I did was wrong. I know that. We all make mistakes."

"Of course we make mistakes, and I'm prepared to live with mine." He pointed at them all. "I don't want to be alone. And I won't be alone. I have her now, and I will keep her safe and sound, even if I have to take you all down and _Hero's Duty_ as well!" screeched C.P.. He suddenly lunged into the midst of the soldiers. His front claws flew out, kicking and flicking them away. Blue Calhoun dodged an attack by throwing herself to the side and rolling away.

As C.P. went airborne for another halo attack, one of Calhoun's unit grabbed Wilbert's mortar and somehow managed to hit C.P. with a shell from below just as the halo launched. He screamed as his armor turned red hot and the fabric parts of it burst into flame. Thankfully it was over quickly, though for the others it seemed to take forever for his charred corpse to fade away. But the mortar hit had been enough to knock C.P. out of the air.

"Is he dead?" asked Felix, popping up from behind the rock, having watched C.P. plummet to the ground.

"Hardly," came the response.

With a great wave of light that seemed to crawl across the ground, C.P's shell split open and a new creature emerged from the metal husk, a long centipede-like monstrosity with legs on each segment of its body and a pair of menacing pincers at its maw.

"Oh shhhhhhhh-ugar," wheezed Vanellope next to Felix.

"His second form. When he's absorbed enough energy in battle he can take the centipede form," announced Blue Calhoun.

With renewed fury C.P. attacked again, launching himself at the men. And instead of flinging them away as before, he seized them in the overgrown mouthparts, two enormous fangs that came together to bite into his targets. If his victim was not immediately slain by the attack, he would be flung far away, launched by a tremendous swing of C.P.'s upper body. At one point he reared up, a third of his length in the air, and he began searching for the few remaining soldiers. Terrified, Felix wished he could melt into the rock and disappear from sight. If he ran, he knew the monster would see him, and chances were he might find him anyway with his new height. But noting the width of a crack in the outcropping, he began stuffing Vanellope into it.

"Felix! What are you doing?" she squeaked and resisted being shoved into the crevice.

"Keeping you safe. You can hide in there. If he comes this way, at least you'll survive."

She ceased struggling, quickly saw his point, and wormed her way into the crevice as deeply as she could. "Do you think he'll kill you if he finds you?"

"He might. I think he's enraged enough right now that he'd attack anything. Now stay there and be quiet, even if he attacks me."

The girl's eyes showed genuine fear.

Felix pulled his gun into his lap and set the power level to its maximum. He would only get a few shots out of the power cell in this mode, but if C.P. did come after him, chances were a few shots would be all he would have.

"Vanellope, if I die, tell Calhoun that I loved her with all my heart and that I'm sorry I failed to rescue her. And tell Ralph and the Nicelanders that I'll miss them, especially Ralph." Then he cocked his head in thought for a moment, and then reached down to his waist and pulled his golden hammer out of the two nooses that held it to the thigh plate of his armor. "And find a new Fix-It too," he said handing it to her.

"Felix..." she cried, her voice wavering and her lip trembling.

"Be brave," he said, giving her a little smile. "I'm trying to."

Clutching his rifle he ran out from behind the outcropping and headed into the battle-zone.

But it was obvious that despite his transformation, C.P. was reaching his end. Not long after Felix began firing he could barely move, and was beginning to flop and thrash instead of moving around coherently. His attacks ceased, and soon he was doing all he could just to dodge the assaults. And then he simply sighed and lay his heavily damaged body down, his many legs twitching out of control. "It's over," he cried brokenly. "You've won."

Blue Calhoun was the first to emerge from her cover. "It didn't have to happen this way," she said, walking over to C.P. and pulling her pistol from its holster.

The giant insect sobbed. "It didn't, but that's just how all of this played out. We both made mistakes and we'll both pay the price." he choked, sounding much more tinny and almost frightened.

Felix approached nervously, ready to use his rifle, despite the fact that C.P. was sprawled on his back and leaking oily ichor at an appalling rate. And when C.P. noticed him there, the robot turned his head away from the handyman shamefully.

Blue Calhoun raised her pistol and placed it right at the center of C.P.'s four eyes. "I'm prepared to pay that price," she said remorsefully.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in:**

**Chapter 17: Waking Calhoun**

**Chapter 18: Good Advice from a Bad Guy**

**Chapter 19: Finale**

**Chapter 20: Code Blue Commentary and Bloopers Reel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	17. Waking Calhoun

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 17: Waking Calhoun**

-o-o-o-o-o-

The battle over, the team took stock. Blue Calhoun and her Kohut and Loya had survived. And of the stunt doubles, only McMillen and Dekker were still standing, if barely.

Felix ran over to where his wife lay unconscious upon the slab of metal. His hands folded around her arm. "Tammy, they said I had to fight for you again, and I fought, and I want you to know that I'll always fight for you." He shook her arm gently. "Now wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

"Try kissing her," called Blue Calhoun. She and the other survivors had taken off their helmets and were walking over toward the garden. "That always gets me up after I've been abducted."

A soft pink glow touched his cheeks. He climbed up onto the slab, took off his helmet, and kissed her perfectly on the lips, a kiss of confidence and triumph and security, and above all a kiss of love. He pulled back to look down at the sleeping blonde, waiting for her to open her eyes.

But nothing happened.

"Honey, wake up." He shook her arm again. "Tammy?" A rush of panic suddenly seized him deep inside. Had C.P. done something to her? What if she didn't revive? "Tammy, wake up!" He tapped her cheek repeatedly trying to get a response.

"Here. Watch a pro wake up a girl," said Dekker as he swaggered up.

"Of course!" exclaimed Blue Calhoun, snapping her fingers. "It's only the kiss of the stunt doubles that wakes me up after C.P.'s captured me."

"Hey, let me try," jumped in McMillen, shoving Dekker with his shoulder. The two stunt doubles locked eyes, and suddenly each whipped out a hand. Dekker's fist knocked against McMillen's scissored fingers.

Dekker quickly produced a comb, seemingly out of thin air, and gave his perfect blond hair a swipe with it. Then he climbed up onto the slab and took Calhoun in his arms.

Everyone watched breathlessly as the stunt double pressed his lips to hers, and even Felix had to admit that he did his one job well.

As Calhoun's eyelids began to flutter Dekker quickly pushed her into Felix's arms.

"Felix..." Calhoun gasped as her eyes opened.

"Tammy," he smiled at her. "I came for you. You're safe now."

Dekker slipped back to the ground and leaned close to Blue Calhoun. "See, not worthless," he whispered to her.

"You've already proved that. I saw how hard you five stunt doubles fought," she whispered back.

Calhoun smiled back at Felix and slowly sat up. "You look good in armor," was her comment. And then realizing she wasn't in hers she looked down at herself and was startled to find herself dressed in the wedding gown. "What the hell?!"

"C.P.'s doing. I think he was hoping you'd be in the mood for marriage," explained Blue Calhoun.

Calhoun groaned. "What happened?"

"C.P. kidnapped you, but we stopped him. He wanted to keep you for himself since I went after Felix. If he couldn't have me, he wanted the next best thing. It wasn't part of our plan though."

"The plan for you to get your hooks into my husband.."

Blue Calhoun sighed guiltily. "Yes. I know..."

"Can't say I blame you though." She stood up, finding that she was even wearing the stockings and heeled satin shoes that matched the gown. "Where is C.P. now?"

"Probably in his apartment. That's where he regenerates."

"Regenerates? You killed him?"

Blue Calhoun nodded. "He refused to give you up without a fight."

"And I won't give you up without a fight either," added Felix drawing her closer.

"Fix-It..." she said tenderly, and in moments they were kissing again.

"Felix and Tammy, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" sung Vanellope, popping up beside them.

"That's enough, Candy Girl," said Blue Calhoun, placing a hand on her shoulder.

-o-o-o-o-o-

They all boarded the transport skiff and flew back to the base, Felix holding tightly to one of Calhoun's hands and Blue Calhoun sitting across from them. "So what happens next?" asked Calhoun, tugging off the headdress to the gown.

"We're not sure. I think it will depend on what Ralph manages to accomplish."

"What do you mean?"

"Ralph isn't here because he wanted to talk some sense into C.P.. He thought that having once been at a similar point in his life, he felt he could help. He's waiting in C.P.'s apartment for him."

"Really?" asked Calhoun. "I wouldn't have expected that."

"Ralph's got a big heart. It's just hidden by those big wrecking hands of his," stated Felix. And then he looked over at Blue Calhoun. "You know, Ralph's still single."

Blue Calhoun narrowed her eyes. "Nice try, Fix-It. But I think I'm more into good-guys."

Felix laughed. "So you are."

Calhoun grimaced and pinched her husband's ear.

"Owwww..." he moaned.

Blue Calhoun got up and took the empty seat next to her twin. "I wasn't going to apologize for what I did, but I want to now. I know it was my selfishness that got all this started. I saw how happy you were with Felix and I just got jealous. I so wanted to see what it was like—to have someone to love and hold and be close to."

"The same thing C.P. wanted, no?" said Calhoun.

The three of them looked at each other, their eyes wide in this moment of epiphany. It was so true. The two main characters in _Code Blue_ had wanted the very same thing.

And then Felix leaned across his wife's lap, taking her hand and Blue Calhoun's hand as well. "I can understand your feelings, and C.P.'s too, and I'm still willing to forgive you for what you've done." And then he looked up at his wife. "And someday maybe you can forgive them as well."

First Calhoun tensed, the barriers of her pride flying up defensively. And then a tight smile broke her icy composure. "How could I blame someone like me for wanting someone like you?" She snatched him up and kissed him soundly. And then she dropped him into her lap and turned to look at her double. "Sergeant, if you're willing to apologize, I'm willing to start over again. Can we move on from all this?"

Blue Calhoun fought not to spill any tears in front of everyone else. "I am ready to move on."

Calhoun pulled her hand out from beneath her husband and held it out to her twin. "Forgive and forget?"

Blue Calhoun took it. "Forgive and learn from the mistakes." The Hero Twins leaned together, Felix smiling up at them from below.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in:**

**Chapter 18: Good Advice from a Bad Guy**

**Chapter 19: Finale**

**Chapter 20: Code Blue Commentary and Bloopers Reel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	18. Good Advice from a Bad Guy

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 18: Good Advice from a Bad Guy**

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

**There's a place I dream about  
Where the sun never goes out.  
And the sky is deep and blue.  
Won't you take me there with you.**

Ohhh, we can begin again.  
Shed our skin, let the sun shine in.  
At the edge of the ocean  
We can start over again.

There's a world I've always known  
Somewhere far away from home.  
When I close my eyes I see  
All the space and mystery.

Ohhh, we can begin again.  
Shed our skin, let the sun shine in.  
At the edge of the ocean  
We can start over again. 

**-Lyrics to "Edge of the Ocean" by Ivy**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Finding himself back in his apartment and defeated in his risky plan, C.P. screamed again and took out his rage on the dining table, flinging dishes and silverware and chairs in a bitter tantrum before shattering the stemware and smashing the table to pieces with his claws, all the while crying and wailing in defeat. The bridges were burned. There was no way anyone would want to even talk to him again. Not even Blue Calhoun would.

And then he looked for another target for his wrath, his eyes falling on the bar. And then he realized that someone was sitting at the bar.

He shrieked, aghast that someone had watched him behaving so badly.

"Not bad for a beginner. I should show you sometime how to really wreck something," said the big man.

"Who are you? What are you doing here!" C.P. screamed. "Wait, you look familiar."

"I'm Wreck-It Ralph, from _Fix-It Felix, Jr._."

"Wreck-It Ralph?! That's right!" They had met only once and it had been briefly. "But what are you doing here?! How did you get in?"

While waiting Ralph had made himself a martini, having watched Gene concoct them up in the penthouse. But on deciding he didn't like the taste, he started going through the bottles on the bar, opening them up and sniffing the contents, usually wrinkling his nose at them. Finally he found something he liked the smell of, and tried a sip, and then poured himself a big glass of it, garnishing it with several wedges of lime and a paper parasol. And this he sipped now. "I wanted to talk to you."

"You're wearing armor. You came for a fight."

"That's right. And I got it. But I've had enough of punching Cy-Bugs. Now I just want to talk."

"About what?" hissed C.P.. He scuttled over to the bar and noting the abandoned martini sitting there, he snatched it up in his claw. "Are you drinking this?"

"Naw."

C.P. tossed it back in one shot and slammed the glass down onto the counter, and to Ralph's surprise the stem didn't break. And then C.P. paused and tilted his head. "That's a pretty good martini. A bit heavier on the vermouth than I usually like, but not bad at all."

"Thanks," said Ralph.

"Now what did you want to talk about? Did you come to try to get me to surrender the other Sgt. Calhoun? Well they've got her now. Am I supposed to say I'm sorry? I honestly think it's too late to salvage this whole situation." Noting the bottles were still out, C.P. began to make himself another martini.

"It doesn't have to be salvaged. It can be a new start."

C.P. laughed coldly. "If you know anything of what's happened you know there's nothing positive ahead. I foolishly burned all those bridges and there's no win ahead for any of us. Give it to me straight, Ralph. What are you doing here?"

"Look, I don't know the whole story, but I know there was some personal business between you and Felix and the two Calhoun's. But kidnapping the _Hero's Duty_ Calhoun so you can have a woman? What's that about?"

C.P. sighed. "Ralph, I need someone." His voice sounded on the edge of tears. "I don't want to be the bad guy who lives up in the tower alone and unloved. I've been trying so hard to get the Sarge to love me, or to at least move in with me. I want to be more than just friends with her. I need more than just a little hug and a quick friendly kiss, which is as much as we ever share." He looked off out the window as he shook the martini in a silver cocktail shaker. "I'm crazy about her. She's alive. She's dangerous. She's exciting. And maybe you haven't noticed but she's beautiful."

"Of course I've noticed. One of my best friends married a Calhoun, remember?" A bittersweet smile crossed his face. "And every time I see them smile at each other, or hold hands, or kiss, I notice it all the more. But I'm not about to go kidnap her or your Sarge or any other girl just so I'll have someone."

"You've got the candy girl though."

Ralph laughed. "Yeah right. Everyone says that but there's no romance there. We're just close friends. And there's nothing wrong with being close friends," he said pointedly with a different tone of voice.

"I need to be more than close friends, to have more than just a visit now and then and a friendly chat. I want someone to love and to cherish and to hold and to kiss. Well, not kiss. Cy-Bugs don't have lips," he grumbled. "But I can live with that." He poured his martini and sipped it this time.

"You know C.P., you and I are a lot alike. And that's part of why I came. Some time ago, I found myself wanting more than the game had given me. I wanted to be more than the bad guy who showed up to wreck the building so Felix could be the hero. I knew what jealousy was. I knew what unloved was. I spent my days at the top of my pyramid being the jerk and the scapegoat and the guy no one wanted. And then at night I went home to my lonely little place, and no one ever came to visit me.

"Wait, you lived like that too?"

"I lived like that for thirty years, C.P.. And I didn't even have a nice place like this to come home to," he said looking around. "I was living in a dump, literally. A big pile of bricks...all the bricks I'd smashed off of the Niceland apartment building and used as ammo against Felix in our game. And every brick was a reminder that I was that bad guy and wasn't wanted for anything but to provide a foil for the hero." He sighed and slumped a little, finding the recounting of his former existence more painful than he thought it would be. "Talk about taking your work home with you."

C.P. reached across the counter and patted Ralph on the shoulder. "No one ever told me any of this. Did the Sarge know? She never mentioned that you'd had it bad."

"We've not exactly had a chance to become close friends."

"Ralph, I keep asking her to bring people over, and I try to plan parties. I keep a full fridge and a stocked bar. My door is always open. But only the Sarge comes to visit, even though I've asked everyone in the game. They all have their own lives, and it's not exactly a convenient trip up here."

"Look, C.P., I guess I want to tell you that it's not worth ruining your life over this. Take this advice from someone who went Turbo himself."

"I'm not going Turbo. This is my own game."

"Your game...someone else's game. Who cares? Going Turbo is when you get so far out of line that it destroys the world around you, and you were going to destroy _Hero's Duty_ and the lives of all the characters there. And for what? For a woman who doesn't love you. You know that a _Hero's Duty_ game is nothing without a Sgt. Calhoun."

The tears in his voice were plain to hear. "No matter what I tried, the Sarge didn't want to get close, even though I wanted her so much. And then...you want to know what she did?" Not waiting for an answer C.P. simply told him. "She had me keep the other Calhoun here while she pretended to be her and went to spend the night with Felix."

Ralph felt a twinge in his gut. "So that was the business between you four."

C.P. nodded shamefully. "But while Calhoun was here, I realized she was just as good as our Sarge, and I thought that if I could have her, Sarge could have Felix, and then we'd both be happy." C.P. leaned in close to Ralph. "But it drove me crazy, because I knew that now both of them were rejecting me. So...so..." His voice was cracking and he sobbed.

"So you kidnapped the _Hero's Duty_ Calhoun and hoped that maybe she'd find a little sympathy for you."

C.P. nodded and whimpered into his front two claws.

"Look buddy, you have to let love find you. Heck, I keep waiting for it to find me. But you can't just go out and grab it. It will find you when it's ready to."

"I just have to let it happen?"

"And if it's meant to be, it will. It found Felix and Calhoun, didn't it?"

C.P. sighed. "And I almost destroyed that."

Ralph patted him on the shoulder again. "They'll put it back together. I have faith in them." He walked around to the other side of the bar and put his arm around C.P.. "Look. I got through this, and you can too. If you want to put all this behind you, I'll talk to the others and we'll try to find a solution. You can move on and we'll try to patch up all the damage that's been done. Your Sarge wanted to as well, and I think she's made her peace with Felix. And if all goes well, she'll clean up things with the other Calhoun."

"And then what? Then I go back to living alone up here? Getting the cold shoulder or worse in Game Central Station? Feeling unwelcome wherever I go?"

"Hell no," said Ralph. "We'll patch things up and like me, you can start anew. Look, once a week I go hang out with a bunch of other bad guys and we talk about things just like this...our problems and our reputations and the way our programming interferes with being accepted by everyone else. It's like being with family there. A big awkward dysfunctional family, but a family. We all understand the problems we go through as bad guys in our day-to-day lives. The meetings really help me, and I think they would help you a lot too."

"I don't think there is any help or hope for me," he said sadly.

"There is. And once you start believing in yourself again, then you'll find your stride and things will get better."

"You really think so?"

"If it hadn't happened to me, I would be doubtful, but take it from a guy who's been there."

C.P. stopped his sobbing and tried to recover himself.

Ralph nudged him. "And I'm hoping I can come visit you here sometimes. This apartment of yours is pretty sweet, and you seem like you're a pretty fun guy when you aren't being a bad guy."

"Really? You'd come to visit?"

"Of course I would, if I'm welcome."

"Of course you're welcome. Everyone's welcome." And then he paused and leaned a little closer to Ralph. "Do...do you think you could introduce me to some women? Human women? Maybe bring some over?"

Ralph chuckled. "I don't know if they'd be wanting to up and marry you, but I think I'd be able to talk a few into going on a date with you. Ooh!" he exclaimed with a burst of inspiration. "There's this girl I know, comes to those meetings. She's not human but she's close to it. I'll introduce you two."

"She pretty?"

"If you like girls with blue skin."

"Seriously? Blue? I'd really like that." He finished his drink and went to mix another when he noticed the concoction sitting in front of Ralph. "What are you drinking?"

"Not sure. It's something I found in the fridge."

C.P. tasted it. "Lemonade. You're a pretty hard-core bad guy, aren't you?" he chuckled.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue continues in:**

**Chapter 19: Finale**

**Chapter 20: Code Blue Commentary and Bloopers Reel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	19. Finale

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 19: Finale**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**I like Angela, Pamela, Sandra and Rita  
And as I continue you know they're getting sweeter  
So what can I do? I really beg you, my Lord  
To me flirting is just like a sport  
Anything fly, it's all good let me dump it  
Please set in the trumpet**

A little bit of Monica in my life  
A little bit of Erica by my side  
A little bit of Rita is all I need  
A little bit of Tina is what I see  
A little bit of Sandra in the sun  
A little bit of Mary all night long  
A little bit of Jessica here I am  
A little bit of you makes me your man 

**Lyrics from "Mambo # 5" by Lou Bega**

-o-o-o-o-o-

A week later, as the quarter alert was sounding, Kohut strode to the front of the unit. "Atten-hut!"

The ten soldiers jolted to attention.

"Now listen up, because I'm only going to say this once." He took his place at the head of the unit and pulled out his rifle. "Fear is a four letter word, men. If I see anyone so much as look back, I'll have you on perimeter patrol for a week. It's time to show these metal maggots we mean business!"

The first person shooter module rolled forward into place. "Game play in three, two, one..." came the disembodied voice from above.

Kohut pulled on his helmet and addressed the player as the camera switched on. "We are humanity's last hope," he barked to the overfed and underexercised teenage boy who stood there clutching the cabinet's targeting rifle. "Our mission? Destroy all Cy-Bugs."

The kid nodded without even being aware that he was responding.

"You ready, rookie? Let's see if you've got what it takes!"

The massive metal doors slid open and the squad surged onto the causeway leading toward the tower.

In the background, Litwak stood by watching quietly. He'd noticed that in _Hero's Duty: Code Blue_ the Kohut character had also been leading the missions that day, and that the Calhoun character was nowhere to be seen. In fact the two boys playing Code Blue right now, two regulars, had also noticed the change of personnel.

But hey, this was Litwak's Arcade. Things changed. Characters came and went. Some appeared mysteriously in other games. Some of the characters themselves even appeared to change.

"Watch it, rookie," ordered Kohut. "These monsters become what they eat."

Litwak shook his head and walked away. He'd given up long ago on trying to make sense of it all.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Felix came home to find dinner had again been laid out on the table awaiting him, the candles lit, dessert on the sideboard, and his wife dressed in the little red satin robe.

He froze. This wasn't happening.

"Welcome home," Calhoun smiled at him and pulled out his chair.

Felix promptly marched over and coldly pulled down the shoulder of the red robe. The black-heart tattoo was there.

"Out!" he said with a pouting lip and a finger pointed at the door. "I'm not going through this again."

"Are you sure?"

"Out!" he huffed with more emphasis.

"Are you really sure?" asked the same voice, but from across the room.

He spun around to see another Sgt. Tamora J. Calhoun leaning in the doorway to the kitchen, this one dressed also in a red satin robe. She pushed back the robe from her shoulder, and the black heart tattoo showed clearly there as well. Once again, he looked back and forth between the two women. His mouth drooped open. "What's this about? What's going on? You both have the black-heart tattoo now!"

The one in the doorway gestured to the other. "It was your idea. You explain it to him."

"But you were the one who figured out the plan," she said gesturing back.

"Well all right then." The first one grinned at him and patted his chair.

Felix sat obediently.

"Well, we decided to find out if you really could tell us apart."

"Of course I can tell you apart. You're not that identical, not as much as you think."

"All right then." The second one sat down and began to dish out dinner to the three of them. "Which one of us did you marry?"

"Yes, which one?" said the first, sitting down beside the other.

The two struck a mirrored pose and smiled at him.

"This is a trap, isn't it?" stuttered Felix. In all honesty, he couldn't tell, at least not just by looking at them.

"Maybe."

"But we'll be nice. You have all night to decide." Simultaneously they both winked at him.

"You two and your games," he sighed.

-o-o-o-o-o-

C.P. popped open the oversized bottle of champagne and quickly filled the three glasses on his tray. Then he brought them over to the couch where his guests were seated and presented the champagne. "Nell. Lucy."

"Ooh! Real champagne!" giggled Lucy taking one of the flutes.

"Really! We never had anything this nice in Niceland!" Nell gushed as she took hers.

"Where did you get it Mr...Mr. Prime?"

"Please, C.P. to my friends..."

"Oh well certainly, C.P.. Where did you get it?" continued Lucy.

"Hey, a guy like me's got connections, but you might not want to go mentioning having champagne anywhere in the vicinity of _Formula One Xtreme_.

"Ooh...stolen," giggled Nell. "You bad boy."

"Hey, I am the end boss," he said, winking his two left eyes at them. "Of course I'm a bad boy."

-o-o-o-o-o-

**One last chapter to Hero's Duty: Code Blue!**

**Chapter 20: Code Blue Commentary and Bloopers Reel**

**But a sequel is in the works since Blue Calhoun and C.P. are too good to not use again. Let me know your thoughts!**

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	20. Commentary and Bloopers!

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue Commentary**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Music Playlist**

**All Around the World **– ATC – Chapter 11 – Formula One Xtreme is nothing but fun and pop music and champagne. This track and its video inspired the non-existent game in the first place.

**Blue** – Eiffel 65 – Chapters 5 & 15 - CP's theme song, and something of theme for his game itself.

**Doha** – Mars Lasar – Chapter 6 – Lasar is a master of creating eerily beautiful tracks and blending them with mystical vocals. This piece strikes me as the lonely song C.P. sings to the perpetual twilight in the outer reaches of Code Blue. There will be some reference to this in my upcoming story "Midnight Bliss."

**Eastern Dawn** – Mars Lasar – Chapter 15 – Another haunting piece by Lasar, this one with a certain creepiness to it that's perfect for the quiet moments with the sleeping Calhoun before all Hell breaks out.

**Edge of the Ocean** – Ivy – Chapter 18 - A hopeful song for C.P.'s recovery from the incident.

**Mambo #5** – Lou Bega – Chapter 19 – I had to finish the story on a positive note with a peppy song to go with it. C.P. might be the villain, but I adore him and all his quirks.

**Obsession** – Animotion – Chapter 16 – The lyrics are an unbelievably perfect match for C.P.'s desperate state when he comes to the end of his rope after kidnapping Calhoun.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hero's Duty: Code Blue" is my first Wreck-It Ralph fanfic and it was both fun to write and a challenge to write. I'm particularly pleased with how nicely it unfolded and refolded in a well-manicured plot. And I'm so in love with the character of C.P. He's so interesting and has so many dimensions. Over the chapters, he goes from being a Target to Blue Calhoun's Friend to the Guy Who Wants Blue Calhoun to the Playboy to the Player to the Pansy to the Jerk to the Co-Conspirator to the Hopeless Romantic to the Villain to the Guy You Feel Sorry For. At times you wish you were him, and others you're glad you aren't. Sometimes you want to snuggle him and sometimes you want to find a Code Blue assault weapon and use it. The beautiful thing is that he never comes off as schizophrenic through all of his aspects.

At the time of writing I'd not found any other stories in this archive that had a sentient Cy-Bug as a character, so I felt this story was quite original. The premise of the _Hero's Duty: Code Blue game is _this: A game company comes up with a successful game, _Hero's Duty_, and there's demand for a _Hero's Duty II_. So the programmers put together a rehash of the same thing to save time, gave it an end boss, and changed the color scheme slightly to set it apart from the original. Calhoun and her men all have the same programming (which is why she can so easily pass for her older twin). The Stunt Doubles were created to give the player a bit more of an option in game control (sort of in the way that the game _Samurai Shodown III _had "slash" and "bust" versions of the characters that were more than just a palette swap).

All five of the Stunt Doubles have names and different characteristics for gameplay: Chen, Dekker, McMillen, Riley, and Wilbert. McMillen, the one Calhoun punched in Tapper's, was the first created, though he didn't have a name until I was writing later chapters. I always envision Wilbert as the Nerd from the Robot Chicken series.

Moving into the story itself:

The opening scene and the first Tapper's scene were some of the first written, and I can just hear the two Calhoun's talking to each other, and Blue Calhoun belittling the stunt doubles. The stunt doubles crack me up because they're so completely devoted to her even though she hates them for their one job as programmed.

I never realized quite how funny Ralph's line of: "What if they were naked? No wait, I didn't say that. What if...never mind" was until I was reading the story to my boyfriend and he would have done a spit-take if he'd been drinking. It's so innocent but exactly the sort of thing a guy would think of. And it's a bit of foreshadowing for chapters 9 & 10.

There've been many shows and stories in which a character is forced to confront himself or herself in some form or another. Sometimes they love each other (my favorite example: Patalliro from _Patalliro!_). Sometimes they hate each other (my favorite example: Rimmer from _Red Dwarf_). I decided to have the Hero Twins like each other and get along great together. It would just make the future betrayal all the more painful and it would give the characters a reason to get back together.

I mention the Beholder, the big green eyeball monster that appears throughout the Wreck-It Ralph movie, most notably at Bad-Anon. Did you notice he's holding four cups of coffee? Although most sources put him as being from the game _Eye of the Beholder_ I have him coming from the fictional game of _Dragon Kingdom_ which is featured in a partial WIR story that I might complete someday. _Dragon Kingdom_ is loosely based on the _Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara game, _which my brother and I will sometimes drag out and play for hours. (For you Lloyd: "Gratuitous Elf Shot!")

In the scene where C.P. takes Calhoun out to see the outer areas of Code Blue, there is something very "Nausicaa, Valley of Wind" about it. This was the first manga I fell in love with, and this was way back before most of my readers were born I suspect, back in the late 80's and early 90's

When you get to C.P.'s apartment, don't you just wish you were him? And no one squicked out about him touching Calhoun (at least no one told me they did), which really is pretty strange if you start thinking about it. And she starts to think it's strange, but the strong drinks he's serving her convince her otherwise. As said in Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_: "A woman in her cups has no defense." By the way, his little bottle flip trick at the bar is basically a version of his brutal one-shot attack that he uses in the final battle.

I stumbled into Robert Sheckley's story of duplication and a possible outcome while halfway through writing this. And I thought: "Wow, this is so appropriate to what's happening in my story!" Felix is much like Dritche 1 who has great goals and noble dreams and a "why can't we all just get along" opinion. Think about it though, if there were two or three or twenty-five identical game consoles sitting in an arcade, you'd get lots of duplicate characters running around.

_Finish Line_ and _Formula One Xtreme_ are the two other racing games mentioned in this story besides "Sugar Rush". _Finish Line _is visible in the WIR movie when the Moppet Girl calls over Litwak to draw his attention to the presumed broken _Fix-It Felix, Jr. _game after Ralph's gone Turbo. This game will play a part in my upcoming story "Avenging Angel." _F1X_ is my own creation and is actually based off of one of my favorite music videos. I still laugh about how I made everyone all party-happy...and champagne obsessed. It's a very lighthearted world, sort of a _Sugar Rush_ aimed at older teens and adults.

Chapters 13 & 14 are my favorite chapters, because they've got some really cool Vanellope moments, some fun moments with the Stunt Doubles, armor, and Felix being a hero again. I love the conversations—Vanellope and Felix in the yellow car, Felix and the Stunt Doubles as he's finishing dressing, Vanellope and Ralph in the pyramid, and Felix and Blue Calhoun in the pyramid. I was worried there would be some negative feedback about Felix kissing Blue Calhoun (and him being fully aware that she's Blue Calhoun, as opposed to the night before when he had no clue), but no rabid Hero's Cuties shippers showed up at my door with pitchforks and torches. The more you read the story though and put yourself into Felix's place, the more his actions there make sense. He loves his wife, but he loves the Calhoun character. Again, he's Dritche 1. And he knows what makes her tick. He kisses her and then immediately makes it clear why he's there fighting in the pyramid.

"Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd." - William Congreve, from _The Mourning Bride_, Act III, Scene 2, 1697

C.P. = CentiPede I had his final form in mind long before writing, and didn't realize this coincidence until I began typing out the chapter. C.P. was just always short for Cy-Bug Prime.

As I wrote the Ralph & C.P. chapter, it became so obvious that there were all these parallels between the two that I'd not realized before, and it gave me all the more reinforcement for Ralph being the one in the scene. (Kudos to the anonymous reviewer who noticed that of all the people who showed up for the final fight, Ralph was missing from the list.)

I made Kohut's speech, a variant of Calhoun's, a little less demeaning to the men. He's not trying to intimidate anyone or prove anything.

The final scene, in which C.P. is entertaining some of the ladies from Niceland, was actually one of the first written. It was written as a parallel to the attempted seduction of Calhoun, to reinforce C.P.'s desire for human women, and to have C.P. back into the swing of things.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Hero's Duty: Code Blue – The Bloopers Reel**

**All your favorite moments from _Code Blue_ warped and twisted for cheap laughs!**

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Don't say anything more." Calhoun kissed him, pushing somewhat to slide him down into the water in her arms. Pausing a moment, she grinned and fumbled around trying to find the lost bar of soap with a free hand.

Felix squeaked. "That's not the soap you're grabbing!" he gasped.

"I said don't say anything more," she whispered, kissing him again.

"But it's really awkward when you're grabbing my foot like that! And it tickles!"

Calhoun snickered. "And here all the readers thought I was grabbing something else."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Wait, so there's a Cy-Bug character in Code Blue?" asked Felix.

"Yep. Something else, eh?" answered Blue Calhoun.

Calhoun quickly drank the rest of her rootbeer. "How do you manage not to shoot him...off-duty?"

"We don't. Poor guy's got more holes in him than a piece of Swiss cheese pinned to an archery target."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The four sat down amongst the lollipops and watched the race, the two Calhouns snickering and whispering to each other all through. Ralph kept feeling the hair on the back of his neck prickle.

"You know what they say about a guy with big hands?" whispered one Calhoun suggestively to the other.

"No, what's that?" came the response with feigned innocence.

"Big gloves!"

The two fell over with laughter and Ralph heaved a sigh.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Blue Calhoun ran through the train and hit the button to open the far door. "C.P.! C.P.? Are you okay?" she called from the other platform.

From the serviceway four blue compound lights rose. "I'm not dead yet!" came the timid and tinny voice of the Cy-Bug Prime.

"C.P., are you all right?"

He crawled out of the dark passage, oily blue blood dripping like paint from several bullet holes around his eyes and mouth. "I'm getting better!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

**For Umbreon:**

Noticing Calhoun watching, C.P. called to her. "Hey, c'mere. Watch this." He grabbed another bottle from the glass shelves behind him and placed it on its side to keep it from rolling off. Calhoun swaggered over and sat on one of the barstools. C.P. put his claw at the neck of the bottle and gave it a strong enough tap to start it spinning. Then he brought his claw down sharply onto the neck, which flipped it up into the air. The bottle somersaulted upwards, and on coming down it dropped behind him on the floor and shattered. "Um...uh...let me try that again."

-o-o-o-o-o-

There came the feeling of being tugged in twenty different directions at once, the sound of flipping buckles and catches, the sudden bracing weightlessness of losing her armor, and the whirring of a rapidly moving Cy-Bug. And suddenly it all ceased, and Calhoun opened her eyes. There, scattered in a pile about her was her heavy hi-tech suit, except for her shoes and calf-armor which still sat on the coffee table. She now stood in just her bra and a pair of men's tighty-whities.

"Ta-da~" C.P. cheered, and then he looked confusedly at her. "Um...why are you wearing men's underwear?" C.P. asked.

She glared. "Look, I haven't gotten to laundry for a couple weeks and I ran out of panties, so I just grabbed some of Felix's this morning.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Calhoun left C.P. outside of Niceland and ran inside. Not bothering to wait for the elevator, she ran up the fourteen half-flights of stairs to Felix's place, burst into the apartment, and went crashing into the bedroom.

Startled by the noise, Blue Calhoun and Gene sat up in bed, gasping at the intruder.

"You!" Calhoun spat. "You set me up so…um...wait...where's Felix."

"Next door. You're in the wrong apartment," scolded Gene.

Calhoun looked around the room and discovered Gene was completely right. And then she stared at the two. "Seriously, Sarge. Him?"

"Hey, I just wanted to find out why they call him 'Big Gene.'"

-o-o-o-o-o-

"But I don't have any confidence," sobbed Felix, wringing his cap in his hands. "Not after this."

"Then let's go find your confidence," said Traci cheerfully.

"We'll take him to see the Wizard! He can get Felix's confidence back!" exclaimed Joey.

"This will be the best Wreck-It Ralph/Wizard of Oz crossover fic ever!" chirped Sarah.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"I'm going to pass you, Joey," Felix announced over the intercom, effortlessly coming up close on the other racer's tail. The car seemed to be propelled by testosterone-laced rocket fuel.

"Just try it, Fix-It," came the response.

Suddenly a red and white car zoomed across the track in front of Felix, cutting him off and breaking his concentration. "Turbotastic!" shouted the driver.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When the victory party finally wound down, Larry and Felix sat at the bar watching the girls dance and Joey flirt with the NPCs. You look like a new man, Felix," he stated.

"I feel like a new man. I feel a little woozy too."

"Think you're ready to tell the missus what's in your heart?"

"I think so." Felix went to stand up and wobbled and fell off of his stool. "I think I've had too much champagne too," he moaned from the floor.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Calhoun left C.P. outside of Niceland and ran inside. Not bothering to wait for the elevator, she ran up the fourteen half-flights of stairs to Felix's place, burst into the apartment, and went crashing into the bedroom.

Startled by the noise, Blue Calhoun and Felix gasped at the intruder.

"You!" Calhoun spat. "You set me up so…um..."

Both Felix and Blue Calhoun were wearing painting overalls and the furniture and carpet were all draped with plastic sheeting. Blue Calhoun was working a long handled paint roller over the ceiling while Felix was taping the windows and door frames. "Tammy, you ruined the surprise," he whined.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hey, why don't you take that car home for a few days. Just keep it parked where the players can't see it," suggested Larry.

"What would I do with a race car in Fix-It Felix, Jr.?" questioned Felix.

"It doesn't have to be a formula one car. Melkus has a few other designs he can change it to." Larry called up to the computer. "Yo! Melkus! Give Felix's car a new look...something he can park in his driveway and make every guy in the neighborhood green with envy."

The yellow rocket was still parked at the center of the party, and suddenly it flashed with light and transformed, just as it had for each new track he took it to. Only this time it took the shape of a 1976 Ford Pinto. There were laughs and pointing fingers.

"There you go, Fix-It. Take it home and..." Larry was laughing too hard to finish his line.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Vanellope put the trophy back down and sat back against the leather upholstery of the yellow roadster. Her kart smelled delicious, of baked treats and frosting and candy. This one smelled artificial and inedible, but of power and exhilaration, which intrigued her inexplicably.

They tore into _Code Blue_'s terminal, the wheels screeching as Felix spun the wheel to avoid the fruit cart, but it was too late. The yellow car toppled the fruit cart and apples and oranges and a selection of other produce went bouncing and scattering all over the station.

"Why is there a fruit cart in _Code Blue_?" Felix demanded. "This is like some cheap movie."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Calhoun left C.P. outside of Niceland and ran inside. Not bothering to wait for the elevator, she ran up the fourteen half-flights of stairs to Felix's place, burst into the apartment, and went crashing into the bedroom.

She burst in to find not just Blue Calhoun and Felix there, but all of their friends as well. "Surprise! Happy Birthday Calhoun!" they all shouted.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Here, you'd better take this, and be ready to use it." Riley reached down to his holster and pulled his pistol from it. "Careful...it's got an eager trigger."

Vanellope took the weapon, needing both hands to manage it, and she grinned wickedly as she looked through the sights.

Felix stamped his foot. "Not only are you taking her in with us, but you just gave a nine-year-old a gun," gasped Felix.

"That's just my appearance," she snorted and stuck out her tongue at him. Suddenly the pistol went off and a dead pigeon plummeted to the ground in their midst. "Oops!" giggled Vanellope.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The sounds of cannonfire and screaming Cy-Bugs all around them, they floated frozen in their own little world for a moment, eyes locked together, oblivious to the battle raging just a few arm's length away.

"I wish I could kiss you again. You're such a great guy," she sighed. "I can't though. Not now."

"In that case, I'll kiss you." Felix grabbed her shoulders and as he moved to push his lips against Blue Calhoun's, she hit the switch for the faceplate control and her visor snapped closed. Felix ended up smooching the orange tinted plastic.

Blue Calhoun fell over laughing when Felix realized that her lips weren't what he was kissing. "I'm sorry, but oh jeeze...I just could not resist doing that," she wheezed.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Calhoun left C.P. outside of Niceland and ran inside. Not bothering to wait for the elevator, she ran up the fourteen half-flights of stairs to Felix's place, burst into the apartment, and went crashing into the bedroom.

Startled by the noise, Ralph, Cammy, and Chun-Li sat up in bed, gasping at the intruder.

"You!" Calhoun spat. "You set me up so…um...Ralph? What are you doing here?"

"Felix said he was going over to _Formula One Xtreme_ tonight and told me that I could use his place." The two women beside him were scowling. "Do you mind?"

Calhoun turned a bright red and she apologetically ducked out.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Reaching the door that entered into the End Boss' chamber, the place the players battled C.P. for possession of Blue Calhoun, where now the team would be battling for possession of Felix's Calhoun, they rested and prepared their weapons.

"All right, ladies," Blue Calhoun addressed them. "Inside we're going up against the Cy-Bug Prime, and I will warn you now that he does not fight nice. C.P.'s got a move that will one-shot a guy even at full health, and you don't want to be on the receiving end of it."

The group got into formation and Blue Calhoun punched the large button on the door that flashed in neon.

The massive metal doors slid open to reveal the population of Litwak's Arcade, who all in unison shouted "Surprise! Happy Birthday, Felix!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

C.P. reached down and primped her hair, arranging her bangs beneath the headpiece, hoping she would regain consciousness soon, knowing that he couldn't keep her hidden forever. He needed her to wake up soon so he could work on winning her heart before the others interfered. It would be difficult, made especially so by the fact that she was married to the little handyman.

Then he got out a hairbrush and started to brush her blond tresses. Unsatisfied, he brought out a curling iron and began curling her hair. Next he pulled out a cosmetics kit and touched up her make-up, adding a little more eye-shadow and then some lipstick. "Oh, and just look at these nails," he said as he pulled off her gloves, at which point he began to give her a manicure.

One of Calhoun's eyes opened. "Are you done yet? You were just supposed to primp my bangs."

-o-o-o-o-o-

**For SgtTJCalhoun64 and two other fans:**

"Honey, wake up." Felix shook her arm again. "Tammy?" A rush of panic suddenly seized him deep inside. Had C.P. done something to her? What if she didn't revive? "Tammy, wake up!" He tapped her cheek repeatedly trying to get a response.

"Here. Watch a pro wake up a girl," said Dekker as he swaggered up.

"Of course!" exclaimed Blue Calhoun, snapping her fingers. "It's only the kiss of the stunt doubles that wakes me up after C.P.'s captured me."

Everyone watched breathlessly as the stunt double pressed his lips to hers, except Felix, who had his eye on Blue Calhoun.

As Calhoun's eyelids began to flutter Dekker quickly pushed her into Felix's arms.

Felix meanwhile was busy winking at and flirting with Blue Calhoun. At least if Tammy didn't wake up, he'd have a back-up. And he was so busy that he completely missed Dekker's hand-off and the luckless Calhoun rolled down the metal slab and ended up in a hydrangea bush.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"You've got the candy girl though," said C.P..

Ralph laughed. "Yeah right. Everyone says that but there's no romance there. We're just close friends. You should read some of the fanfiction about us though. They keep putting us together in these 'jawbreaker' romances, and they always try to find a way to make her older or me younger."

"Seriously?"

"She always seems to get an upgrade to her Code and then she and I fall shyly head over heels for her. And then we hop into bed and loose our virginities to each other."

"You're a virgin?" he stammered.

"Heck no. I've been sleeping with Mary in Niceland for years. No one's ever caught on that it takes her three hours to take her trash over to the dump."

-o-o-o-o-o-

**For Dixie Darlin:**

Calhoun left C.P. outside of Niceland and ran inside. Not bothering to wait for the elevator, she ran up the fourteen half-flights of stairs to Felix's place, burst into the apartment, and went crashing into the bedroom.

Startled by the noise, Felix and Turbo sat up in bed, gasping at the intruder.

"You!" Calhoun spat. "You set me up so…um...uh...whoa..."

Calhoun stepped out, shutting the door quickly behind her. "I didn't just see that."

-o-o-o-o-o-

**For Robert Sheckley:**

C.P. popped open the oversized bottle of champagne and quickly filled the three glasses on his tray. Then he brought them over to the couch where his guests were seated and presented the champagne.

"Ooh! Real champagne!" giggled Anna 184 taking one of the flutes.

"Really! We never had anything this nice in our colony!" Anna 87 gushed as she took hers.

"Where did you get it Mr...Mr. Prime?" asked Anna 422.

"Please, C.P. to my friends..."

-o-o-o-o-o-


End file.
